Sarge, It's Not Your Fault
by 206
Summary: It is eight months into their year apart when the nightmares begin. Starts off with Booth in Afghanistan training soldiers and will go into how I think season 6 will play out.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know there is a plethora of post-finale fics but I had to add my own because the idea would not leave me alone. It starts 8 months into their year apart and then will go into how I think season 6 will play out. Hope you enjoy! Please review. **

It was eight months into his yearlong rotation with the Rangers before things took a turn for the worse for Booth. He had spent the last eight months training soldiers, showing them what it took to be not only a great sniper but also how to survive. That was why he decided to accept returning to Afghanistan; he wanted to make sure he saved as many lives as he could. He had spent the last eight months focusing entirely on the soldiers, he was able to compartmentalize to such an extent that Bones would have been proud of him. He had infrequent correspondence with her and Parker and Cam mostly. He tried to keep them to a minimum, it was easier for him to compartmentalize that way. He had not been in the way of any danger for those eight months, no chance for him to act like a hero.

It was sudden, as it usually is in war, the attack was completely unexpected. Shots tore through the silence, disturbing everything in their path. He quickly grabbed his gun and motioned for the soldiers to follow his lead. Their training was about to be put to the test. The insurgents fired without pause, the Rangers fired back in response. Finally after what seemed an eternity, but in reality was about three hours the firing began to slow. Booth looked around, counting his men, making sure that they were all still alive. He felt personally responsible for these men; he refused to give even one up to death. It would not be acceptable.

Unfortunately, it is the fortunes of war. Death is inevitable and unpreventable. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief that all his men were okay, one of them shouted that they needed help, Private Edwards had been shot. Racing to the other side of the camp, the shooting had all but stopped now, Booth suspected that the insurgents had run out of ammunition, he had quickly picked up the wounded soldier and ran into a nearby tent. He had told the other Private to go find a medic as he ripped open the soldier's uniform and tired to stop the bleeding. Booth was concentrating on trying to stop the bleeding and made the mistake of looking at the man's face. The soldier was young. He could not be a day over twenty if that; the sight of the clean, baby-face caused tears to sting Booth's eyes. He tore his eyes away from the soldier's face and started to apply more pressure to the wound. There was so much blood.

Booth could hear the soldier's breathing become shallower as the time passed and Private Simmons had yet to return with a medic. Private Edwards used all the energy he had left to grab Booth's hand.

"Sarge" He whispered hoarsely "Sarge, it's not your fault." That was the last thing he said before releasing his final breath and letting go of Booth's hand. Booth stared at the young soldier in disbelief. He could not be dead. Taking a step back Booth looked back at the young man's face only to have it be replaced by Teddy's. He was forced to take another step back as the image of Teddy's bloody corpse hit him like a train. Booth blinked and Teddy was transformed into Parker. Booth felt as though he had been hit by a bullet. He was unable to breathe as he stared at the corpse that now had the face of his son.

Booth heard someone approaching the tent and quickly composed himself. He would not allow his men to see him fall apart. He would not allow himself to fall apart. He was in charge and he had to be strong for all of these men.

It was that night that the nightmares started.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing and the story alerts! Originally I was going to have them meet again in this chapter but then I wanted to have an explanation of Brennan's thinking while she was in Muluku. Also I might not be able to update for the next two weeks because I have a friend coming to town tomorrow and then I am leaving on vacation so I might not have time. I will definitely try though. Thanks again for reading! Enjoy!**

It was eight months into her yearlong dig before Brennan felt the full weight of her decision. When she had initially arrived in Muluku with Daisy she had felt the pang of homesickness but had been able to quickly (much more quickly than when she resided in DC) compartmentalize and focus solely on the remains. The remains were fascinating; there was little time to think of much else. She had infrequent correspondence with Booth and Angela and Hodgins but they quickly became even more infrequent as the months wore on. Brennan felt free of the emotions that had taken over her in DC. She only felt excitement both at the incredible find and because there was nothing to cloud her logic.

Then someone, an anthropologist from Australia whose name she continually forgot, found a new set of remains away from the initial dig site. Brennan had rushed over in excitement and helped uncover the remains. As she looked at the remains she could instantly tell that the man (she could tell it was male from the pelvic bones) had not died of natural causes, he had been murdered. Suddenly it was as if the past eight months had not existed and she was back in DC looking over the remains of a murder victim. Brennan got up and instructed Daisy to take over since she had experience with murder victims.

Finding the murder victim (which was quickly taken from their custody for the Indonesian police to look into) brought her thoughts of Booth that she had been suppressing throughout the trip to the forefront of her mind. Suddenly she felt the weight that she had wanted to escape from enclose her once again. And she was unable to shake it off. That's when the nightmares started and Booth wasn't there to comfort her.

It took a few rather inappropriate comments from Daisy before Brennan had her epiphany. It did not make the nightmares go away but it helped her to understand. Daisy had made a comment about how she looked up to Brennan because she was so focused on her work and did not let her personal life interfere. She praised Brennan for her rationality and logic, telling her that she appreciated that there was someone else who viewed their career as more important than anything else. Daisy told her that she thought that Brennan had made the right decision in not letting Booth hold her back.

"I mean, what you guys did back in DC was important, but you would have hated yourself if you had given up this chance you know. Ancient remains are the reason you became a forensic anthropologist. He was taking up way too much of your time on murders." Brennan's head had snapped up from the remains and looked at Daisy with such intensity that the younger woman squirmed uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that how it sounded."

"Please focus on your work Ms. Wick."

"Yes Dr. Brennan."

Brennan knew her reputation. She had spent her life putting up walls and projecting an image of strength and coldness and she was not about to let that shatter. She had to be strong. Her heart irrationally ached and she realized it was because of how much she missed Booth. She thought back to their departure. She had thought at the time that he and the murders were preventing her from doing what she really loved but there was no evidence of that. Booth was always supportive of her going on digs and always proud of her no matter the size or significance of her findings.

"_I knew, right from the beginning. I knew"_ His voice floated into her head. _"I want to give us a shot." "Something has to change." _

"Something has to change" She repeated.

"Excuse me?" Daisy asked looking up. Brennan ignored her. Being in Muluku, away from Booth didn't stop her from worrying about him. He was in a war zone, in more danger than if he had stayed in DC. She still worried about the meaning of their partnership. She had told Angela during their last case that things have value because they are given value. Booth had given significant value to their partnership, so had she. Brennan realized that no matter where she was, she was always going to worry about Booth's well-being because of the value she had given him as someone significant in her life and she could not and did not want to take away that value.

The nightmares continued but they simply fortified her realization that she wanted Booth in her life forever (well until they inevitably died) and she was going to try to be what he deserved.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Due to food poisoning my friend had to postpone her trip to see me for a few days, which means I had time to update. Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing and the story alerts, its always encouraging. This chapter is a little shorter but it is setting up for the next part. Enjoy! and please review.**

_There was blood everywhere, more blood than Booth thought one person could lose. It was seeping into his shoes, soaking his clothes. He couldn't stop it. "Sarge, it's not your fault."_ Booth could only see the eyes of the dead soldier. They were brown, like Teddy's, like Parker's. The thought made Booth want to vomit.

"Sir are you alright?" A stewardess asked stopping by his seat and placing a hand on his shoulder. Her voice brought him back to reality.

"Uh ya, could I have some water?"

"Sure." The stewardess left to go get him water; Booth closed his eyes to take a calming breath but he once more saw those cold dead brown eyes.

{}

Brennan was eager to get to the coffee cart at the reflecting pool. Her flight had landed an hour ago. She could safely say that she had not missed the DC traffic.

"Is there any way to get to there faster?" Brennan asked. The cab driver looked in his rear view mirror at her.

"Not really." He shrugged. Brennan sighed and leaned back. The last four months had been incredibly difficult. She found herself missing Booth more and more each day. The only thing that kept her from returning early was the knowledge that he would not be back until today.

Finally the cab stopped at the reflecting pool. Brennan jumped out of the cab and quickly scanned the area only to see that he was not there yet. She tried to stay as calm as possible as she made her way over to the coffee cart and ordered them their favorite coffees.

{}

The last four months had been hell. Plagued by nightmares he had barely been able to sleep. He had not been able to talk to his Bones or his son. He had landed back in DC an hour ago and was now so close to reaching the coffee cart near the reflecting pool he could practically smell her. He had to stop for a moment when he saw her standing there. Her back was to him and there were two cups of coffee waiting patiently (unlike her) on the bench beside her. Booth felt his heart expand, she was definitely a sight for sore eyes. Quickly and silently he walked up to her. When he was close enough to reach out and touch her he stopped.

"Bones." Booth said softly. Brennan spun around. She had missed the moniker so much. Everyone in Indonesia had called her Dr. Brennan.

"Booth." Her voice was much softer than either of them expected. Without warning her, he pulled her into a hug, which she gladly reciprocated.

"I missed you." He whispered in her ear. He held onto her tightly. So tightly that it began to hurt; but she didn't say anything because she had always been able to read him and she could tell from the way he held her that something bad happened over in Afghanistan.

"I missed you too." She replies truthfully, "more than I thought I would."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I just want to thank everyone again for reading and reviewing and the story alerts! Really makes my day. This chapter is much longer than the last. I sat down and started writing and honestly had no idea where to stop. I hope everyone is in character. Hope you enjoy! (Please review)**.

Brennan had decided to not immediately go back to being a consultant for the FBI and therefore her and Booth's partnership was still on hold. Needless to say that all of their friends (not to mention lab techs and other agents) were eager to find out what had happened between them (and what was going to happen). Angela had talked with Hodgins and Cam at great lengths about the scene they had all witnessed at the airport.

The three of them agreed that there was definitely something going on that they had not been informed of between the partners and that perhaps the dam had finally broken. Sweets, who had spent the year mourning his and Daisy's relationship (much to Cam's displeasure) didn't think that the dam broke in the way that they all wanted and anticipated. He believed (he couldn't say for sure as it would break doctor/patient confidentiality) that one of them (everyone agreed it was Booth) had decided to try and move forward in their relationship and the other (so obviously ) couldn't handle the change and therefore said no.

"It's the only scenario that makes sense. Otherwise why would they have left each other?"

"Angie we've been over this a million times now. I'm pretty sure we're right. But what does it mean for them now? Dr. B said she isn't going back to being Booth's partner."

"We'll have to just wait and see what Booth does about it." Cam offered her input.

"What do you mean?" Angela asked. She had scenarios in her head where Booth stormed the Jeffersonian much as he had done that night they were all locked in the lab over a year ago and swept Brennan off her feet making her change her mind about being his partner again. Sadly the only ridiculous part of her fantasy was Brennan changing her mind about being a consultant.

"Booth is obviously going to go back to the FBI. He has two weeks off to get readjusted before starting work. If he continues to come to the lab all the time and forcing Dr. Brennan to eat and sleep we'll know that they are okay, if not…then we worry."

"I agree with Dr. Saroyan." Sweets said. "I have to give Booth another psychological evaluation before he can come back to work."

"Any particular reason for telling us that Sweets?" Hodgins asked.

"Does he not seem different to you guys?" Sweets asked in return.

"Well ya a little, but we didn't really see him that much. It was just a lunch. And he had just gotten back the day before." Hodgins shrugged.

"Sweetie he was in a war zone. Obviously he isn't going to be all sunshine and daisies the first day back."

"Ya but…"

"Are you worried that Seeley has PTSD from being in Afghanistan?" Cam asked seriously.

"Did he suffer from it the first time he came back?" Cam looked down and that was all the answer that Sweets needed.

"Was that the reason he started gambling?"

"Don't push it Dr. Sweets." Cam gave him a hard look and he dropped the subject. Cam knew how much her friend hated talking about his personal life, and having his personal life talked about behind his back, but she was worried about him.

"I did notice a few similarities in his behaviour to when he came back last time." She told Sweets, eyes still trained on her shoes. "But it doesn't seem as bad as it was last time. He told me that he wasn't doing the same things that he had to do last time."

"I think something happened though." Sweets said.

"Whatever it is, let him work it out Dr. Sweets." Cam looked at him again. "I know you just want to help but trust me, Seeley doesn't respond well to the type of help you want to give."

"Ya I sorted noticed that." Sweets muttered.

"Booth greatly dislikes people discussing his personal life." Brennan said as she entered the room.

"We're worried about him Sweetie. We're not being mean."

"I understand the sentiment, I am also worried. However Booth does usually realize when he is unable to handle a certain situation and seeks the appropriate assistance."

"Are you referring to yourself ?" Sweets asked.

"Yes I am. Booth and I have on occasion discussed his past as a sniper and I feel confident that he will, when he is ready, tell me about what happened in Afghanistan. I just finished reconstructing the skull of John Doe 345 from Limbo and would appreciate it if Angela and Hodgins could get to work on the facial reconstruction and particulate analysis." With that Brennan turned and left the room.

"You heard the woman." Cam said with a smile on her face; she had missed the team dynamic during the past year.

{}

"Dr. Brennan do you have a moment?" Cam asked as she entered the anthropologist's office.

"Yes." Brennan looked up from the file she had been reading.

"It's about Booth." Cam could tell that she had Brennan's full attention.

"Readjusting back into civilian life is not easy for him; he pretends to be okay…"

"Yes I am aware of that." Brennan interrupted. "Over the course of our partnership and friendship I have learned how to appropriately 'read' Booth." Cam had to smile at Brennan's use of quotation marks.

"That wasn't the real reason I wanted to talk to you Dr. Brennan. I am aware that you can 'read' him. What I don't know is how good a read on his emotions you have."

"What do you mean?" Brennan asked, head tilted.

"I don't know what happened between the two of you before you decided to take a year away from each other but I could guess, knowing Seeley the way I do, that it was something significant." Cam said carefully. Brennan did not respond immediately so Cam decided to try and be clearer.

"It was obvious to me that there was something bothering him and that he was something that he was struggling with emotionally. Truth be told Dr. Brennan there have been few times in the past seventeen years when I have observed that type of emotional struggle from Seeley."

"And you assume it had to do with me." Brennan stated.

"Yes….Am I wrong?" Cam folded her arms over her chest.

"No, you are not wrong." Brennan said after a long moment of silence. "Booth wanted to take our relationship to a more personal and intimate level and I was not ready for that level of change and I declined." Cam nodded her head, she had suspected as much.

"However I realized while in Muluku that the feeling I have for Booth, as irrational and inexplicable as they are did not fade simply because we were apart. At times I actually felt physically ill at the thought of something happening to him. The feelings I have for him cannot be explained scientifically. So I have decided that I am going to try and enter into a romantic social contact with him." Cam blinked and took a moment to process the startling news.

"Are you saying that you're ready to be in a relationship with Booth?" Cam asked to make sure she had understood correctly.

"Yes." Brennan said simply.

"Okay." Cam sighed. These two could never get onto the same page at the same time.

"Dr. Brennan, may I offer you some advice on Booth?"

"If you wish to give me advice on the correct way to seduce Booth I would think that you would find that very uncomfortable. And I do believe that I will have no difficulty with that." Cam was shocked into silence, that was not what she had expected.

"Um…no…I…" The innocence on Brennan's face made it more difficult for Cam to compose herself.  
"I didn't mean that. Dr. Brennan, Booth has been through a lot in the past year with…whatever happened between you and then in Afghanistan. I really don't think that right now is the best time to...engage in a romantic social contract with him."

"Do you not want me to engage in intercourse with him? I can understand anthropologically why you would be against it." Cam let out a heavy sigh; she didn't think that she could get more uncomfortable.

"No, yes. No." She paused for a moment. "I want you and Seeley to be together. I think you are really good for him, I think you are right for each other. However I don't think right now is the best time to start a personal relationship, beyond the friendship that you already have, because of whatever happened in Afghanistan. I think you should let him recover from that first." Cam finished and looked at Brennan whose eyes were wide. Cam couldn't tell if she had understood.

"I know that you care about him."

"I do, more than I thought was possible, and definitely more than is rational." Cam had to smile.

"Just be there for him, help him recover. What you two have is special and it will evolve into what you both want eventually."

"Booth said something similar."

"Booth is a smart man." Cam and Brennan shared a look of understanding.

"Thank you for sharing your concerns about Booth with me Cam." Brennan said sincerely.

"You're welcome Dr. Brennan." Cam turned to leave when she thought of something else.

"One more thing Dr. Brennan. When Booth does get over whatever happened in Afghanistan, you need to be really sure that you want to be in a relationship with him. As strong as he is, I don't think he could handle it if you changed your mind." With that Cam left the anthropologist's office, thinking about how it was almost two years ago that she had given Booth similar advice on Dr. Brennan.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and story alerts! :) Hope you enjoy!**

Booth was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling. His clock mocked him as the numbers turned to 4:57 – It was almost a reasonable hour to get up. He hadn't even tried to go to sleep that night, after having a wonderful day with Parker, who was sleeping peacefully in the next room; Booth did not want to ruin it by having nightmares. He especially did not want to risk waking up Parker if a nightmare caused him to wake up screaming.

After lying there for another half hour, Booth decided to get up and start getting ready for the day. He had a lot to catch up with and Parker was eager to get in a much as possible in their week together. Booth took a shower and made his way to the kitchen to make some coffee, he knew he would be needing a lot of it today.

Surprisingly, Parker woke up around 6:30, already ready to get the day started.

"Come on Dad, we have so much to do!" Booth smiled at his son's enthusiasm. He had missed Parker so much during the last year. Unfortunately, Booth was unable to look his son directly in the eyes, his stomach still clenched and he still saw Teddy and Private Edwards.

"Oh, and I want to go to the Jeffersonian. Cam let me and Max do an experiment, its still there cause I told her I wanted to show you." Parker said excitedly as he shoveled cereal into his mouth.

"Did they say you could call them Cam and Max?" Booth asked.

"Ya. You told me that I always had to call grown ups by their Mr. or Mrs. Or Dr. But Cam and Max said it was okay."

"Alright then."

"Oh and Dad, is Bones back yet? Cause I want to show her the experiment too."

"Ya she's back. And I'm sure she would be very pleased to know that you like doing experiments with her dad." Booth laughed to himself. "They're turning you into a squint." He shook his head in amusement.

"Is that a bad thing?" Parker asked looking up at his father.

"No Parker. I will be very proud of you if you become a squint." Parker beamed at his father, Booth could feel his heart swelling. Happiness, he had not felt it for a long time.

"But first we have to go to the park. I want to show you this really cool trick I learned from Pops."

"Fastball?"

"Ya, how'd you know?"

"Pops taught me that one too."

{}

After two hours of playing a modified two player version of baseball at the park, Parker was practically bouncing off the walls in anticipation. He really wanted to show his father the experiment he had done with Max. He was very proud of it.

"Please can we go now Dad, please!"

"Let me call Bones, if she's free now we'll go okay." Parker nodded and sat down on the grass. Booth pulled out his phone and pressed speed dial #2. Some things didn't change.

"Brennan." A smile graced Booth's face just hearing her voice.

"Bones, it's me."

"Booth you do not need to say 'it's me' you are the only one who calls me Bones, therefore I always know that it is you." Booth laughed.

"God I missed your squinty explanations." On the other end of the line Brennan smiled in spite of herself.

"Listen, Parker wants to show us an experiment he did with Max while we were away. Are you free right now?"

Brennan looked around her office. She had not officially started working at the Jeffersonian again, Cam had given her a couple days off in order to readjust to being back in DC, but she had been going over the case files in order to see what had been going on in her absence.

"Yes I'm free."

"Great we'll pick you up in about twenty minutes and head over to the lab." Booth nodded his head in a yes motion towards Parker who quickly got up, smile on his face.

"I am already at the lab Booth." Booth rolled his eyes.

"Alright then, we'll be there in twenty minutes."

{}

"Hey Bones!" Parker greeted enthusiastically entering her office several steps ahead of his father.

"Parker, Hi. How are you?" Brennan asked.

"I'm good. I'm glad you and my Dad are back though."

"I'm glad of that as well."

"Hey Bones." Booth said. Brennan looked up at him and smiled. They looked at each other for a moment before Parker, who was confused over their behaviour, interrupted.

"So, can we go see the experiment now?" He asked. Booth and Brennan broke eye contact.

"Ya lets go."

{}

Brennan ended up spending the rest of the day with Booth and baby Booth. It had surprised her how easily they had been able to get back into their routine. However at certain moments, such as when Parker fell and scraped his knee, she noticed something was off about Booth. He had always been overprotective, but at that moment she would not have been surprised if Booth had driven Parker to the hospital. Parker had also noticed his father's extreme over-protectiveness and had turned to Brennan to answer his silent question of why his father was behaving that way. She did not have one.

"Dad are you okay?" Parker asked once they were all back at Booth's apartment.

"Ya Buddy I'm fine why?" Booth didn't look at his son directly; he busied himself with getting plates and glasses and cutting the pizza. Parker shrugged,

"I dunno, cause you really freaked out when I got hurt."

"I just don't like to see you get hurt Parker." Booth knelt down and forced himself to look into his son's eyes. "I love you" he said as he enveloped Parker in a strong hug.

"I love you too Dad." Parker responded. Brennan watched the interaction with intense anthropological interest, but even more personal curiosity. She was now more confident than before that something had happened in Afghanistan and it must have been particularly bad since Parker was noticing the change in his father. She had come to a lot of realizations in Muluku but the knowledge that she would do anything for Booth was something she'd had for years.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So this is probably going to be my last update for the next 10days-two weeks since my friend arrives tomorrow afternoon. I just wanted to thank everyone again for reading, reviewing and story altering, it means a lot to me. Enjoy!**

Sweets looked around his office. He was waiting for Booth to arrive for his psychological evaluation. Sweets did not know why he was feeling nervous about it. Booth took a deep breath outside of Sweets' office before waltzing in as his usual cocky self.

"Hey Sweets." He plopped down in his usual spot.

"Hello Agent Booth." They sat in silence for a moment.

"So how are you feeling?"

"Really Sweets?" Booth scoffed in amusement.

"It's a legitimate question. You have just returned from a year in Afghanistan, obviously there will be some issues. No one comes back from a war without some type of psychological issues, however small."

"Sweets you do realize that I was in the army before this right. I've been through this before. Just sign the paper saying that I'm ready to go back to work."

"Has it been easier this time around? Readjusting to being a civilian."

"Yep."

"So you're not having any urges to gamble or anything."

"Nope."

"How are your relationships with your friends?"

"Fine."

"I would really appreciate more than one word answers Agent Booth."

"You know Sweets, you keep calling me Agent Booth. So obviously you are going to reinstate me. Can you just sign the paper so that I can get back to work?" Sweets sighed.

"How is your relationship with Dr. Brennan?"

"Its…its good."

"Really?" Sweets asked skeptically.

"Ya. We aren't going back to being work partners right away, but I understand. Bones just needs some time away from murders."

"Isn't that what the year in Indonesia was supposed to accomplish."

"No, Bones went to Mululu to look at ancient remains to see if they could link human to monkeys or something squinty like that."

"But she was away from murder."

"I don't know Sweets; maybe some of the skeletons over there got murdered."

"There is always a chance that the remains she has in Limbo will turn out to be a murder victim. And part of her job description is to identify remains from the world wars." Booth sighed.

"One thing I did not miss was how annoying you can get." Sweets looked at Booth unsure of how to take the comment.

"Bones wants to focus on Limbo right now. And no that is not also a metaphor for where we are in our relationship right now so don't get all shrinky about it."

"I need to know how to feel about not being partners with Dr. Brennan."

"It sucks Sweets. You know how I feel about Bones, but just because we aren't partners doesn't mean that I won't be seeing her anymore."

"So your feelings for Dr. Brennan have not changed in the last year."

"Did you really think they would?" Booth asked seriously. He could not believe that he was being so candid with the young doctor but it was somewhat cathartic and he really wanted Sweets to reinstate him.

"No I didn't think they would."

"Glad we understand each other, now can you sign the damn papers." Sweets sighed. He knew that he would not be getting anything else out of Booth today. Reaching into his briefcase he pulled out Booth's badge and gun.

"Here you go." He said as he handed them over and signed the papers. Booth smiled cockily, grabbed his stuff and hurried out of the room.

{}

"Guess whose back baby!" Booth said happily as he strutted into Brennan's office.

"Who?" She asked, looking up from the file she had been reading.

"Me. Bones"

"But you returned over a week ago." Brennan stated confused.

"No Bones, I am back at the FBI. Sweets reinstated me."

"Oh, that is good. Congratulations."

"Thanks." Booth smiled at her. She smiled back. "So what are you doing right now?"

"I am reviewing Dr. Edison's reports on the Limbo cases that he identified while I was absent."

"Great so you can come celebrate." Brennan tilted her head in question.

"Celebrate?"

"Ya. Me being back, you being back."

"Our partnership has not been reinstated yet Booth."

"Doesn't matter. Come on Bones." Booth flashed her his famous charm smile and Brennan decided not to be stubborn and agreed to go to the diner with him to celebrate.

{}

"So Sweets reinstated you, that means your psychological evaluation went well." Brennan inquired as she took another one of Booth's fries.

"Yep."

"What did he ask you?"

"How I was feeling, how I am readjusting to being a civilian, if I was having any urges to gamble, which I'm not." Brennan nodded.

"How are you readjusting?" Brennan asked.

"I'm fine Bones. It's been easier this time around than it was last time. I wasn't doing the same things, didn't see the same things."

"But?"

"Huh?"

"You said that you weren't doing the same things or seeing the same things that you had the first time, but that implies that you saw something different this time which also affected you."

"I didn't see anything really different. War is war, death is still death." Booth answered somberly.

"Did someone close to you die?" Brennan asked bluntly yet her concern was evident. Booth opened his mouth but no sound came out.

"I don't want to talk about Afghanistan right now Bones. We're celebrating being back here. Together." The last word made both of them freeze, eyes locked on the other. The connotations of together made them uncomfortable. Together as friends? partners? something else?

"Yes, we are." Brennan said finally with a smile.

"He asked me about our partnership." They shared another moment of silence, looking into each others eyes before Brennan responded,

"And what did you say?"

"That you are taking some time off murder." Brennan nodded again.

"There is something you aren't telling me." Booth smiled softly at her.

"You've grown a lot Bones."

"Thank you. But I would like to know what you and Sweets discussed about our partnership." Booth paid for their meal and began walking towards the door, Brennan right beside him. As they approached his new SUV Booth turned to her.

"He asked me how I felt about us not being partners."

"Oh."

"Ya."

"And what did you tell him."

"The truth."

"I know you don't like it Booth." Brennan placed her hand on his arm. Booth gave her another smile.

"Booth, do you want to come over for dinner tonight?"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry for not updating in a long time. I haven't been home more than a couple hours to sleep since my friend arrived. I don't know when I'll be able to update next. Hopefully before the weekend. Thank you everyone for being so patient, and thanks for all the reviews and story alerts. I know this chapter is a little shorter but it felt right to end it where I did. Hope you enjoy!**

"Paris was wonderful. We went to so many museums and I think we still didn't see them all. There are so many different exhibits and galleries throughout the year on top of it. I even had my own little exhibition because this curator really liked my work."

"You do excellent work." Hodgins interrupted his wife, giving her a light kiss before he walked away to talk to Cam.

"I agree with Hodgins Angela, your work is excellent. Congratulations. I am sure that it was a success." Angela smiled at her friend.

"Ya. I sold three paintings and a sculpture."

"That is very good. I am glad you enjoyed your time in Paris."

"It was wonderful. Paris has the most amazing restaurants and the nightlife there is great, lots of bars and clubs. There was this little jazz club near Notre Dame that Jack and I went to almost every other week." Angela laughed at a memory. "Jack spent so much time learning all the conspiracy theories in French history and meeting with entomologists who showed him some really disgusting bugs that they don't have here." She rolled her eyes lovingly.

"Well he is an entomologist so I would assume that he was very intrigued by that."

"Oh he definitely was. So anyway Sweetie, how was your trip? Any hot anthropologists?" Angela smiled suggestively.

"A few of the male anthropologists had nice symmetry but none appealed to me in any capacity outside of professionalism." Brennan responded. Angela let it slid.

"Did you find what you were looking for? Something that changed what it means to be human?" Brennan was silent. She had a contemplative look on her face and Angela was about to ask a different question when Brennan finally answered.

"I invited Booth to dinner tonight." She said.

"Okay." Angela said confused. "I thought we were talking about Muluku."

"Inviting Booth to dinner, while it was something that we did often while we were partners, was an extension of a conclusion that I came to while in Muluku." Brennan said calmly.

"Please tell me this conclusion includes you two finally devouring each other in a passionate frenzy."

"It does. Booth is a very virile man so there should not be any trouble with sex. However the conclusion I came to was that…I want to give us a try."

"As in what boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"I want to enter into a relationship with Booth, the whole package as he would say." Angela smiled proudly at her best friend.

"I realized that being away from him did not alter my feelings for him, I still cared about him, I still worried. I started to worry more because he was in a warzone." Brennan continued "I also realized how much I've come to value our partnership and friendship and Booth as a person."

"That's really great Sweetie." Brennan nodded. She hesitated before continuing.

"Cam told me to give Booth some time and make sure that I know what I want before I tell Booth."

"Well she sorta has a point. I mean you don't want to get into a relationship and then three days later bail out."

"Bail out means to leave the relationship?"

"Very good Brennan."

"Then I think I've bailed out too many times. I am not going to tell him immediately. Cam and I are in agreement that something unpleasant happened to Booth in Afghanistan that he needs to recover. I just want to help him through it as he has always done for me." Angela smiled again at her best friend.

"You've changed a lot Bren."

{}

Booth stood outside Brennan's door berating himself for being nervous. They had shared countless meals at her apartment over the years. But he had a feeling in his gut that this dinner was going to be different. Maybe it was the way she had asked him, maybe it was because they has spent a year apart and even thought things were back to normal (apart from not being partners) they're relationship was unidentified. He had noticed how she had changed over the year. He was glad, but he had no idea what it would mean for him, for them. Booth didn't want to hope, his heart was in the most fragile state it had ever been in, if he hoped and nothing happened, he didn't know if he could take it. He had to protect what was left of his heart in order to be the person he wanted to be. The best father he could be for Parker, the best FBI Agent, the best…whatever to Bones. As he came to this conclusion, Booth nodded his head in determination and knocked on the door.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So so sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time. Been really busy. Thank you so much for the reviews, story alerts, favorites etc. I know it's a little shorter than usual, but I had already re-wrote the entire thing three times so I figured I should post before I was compelled to re-write it again. Hope you are still enjoying! **

"Mmmm. Bones you still make the best Mac and cheese." Booth commented as he took another bite.

"That is a subjective statement Booth. You haven't had everyone in the world's macaroni and cheese." Booth rolled his eyes.

"Subjectively yours is the best. Is that better?" He smiled cheekily. Brennan smiled at him.

{}

After dinner Booth and Brennan sat on her couch, she was sharing stories of Indonesia, carefully avoiding when the remains of the murdered man had been found and the subsequent nightmares. She wanted to be honest with him, but she knew that telling him would only provoke his over protective nature and make him feel guilty for not being there. Booth listened intently with a small smile on his lips.

"I've missed this." He said when she finished telling him about a certain incident with Daisy involving a monkey responding badly to her screeching.

"I know. You've said that a lot in the last few days." Brennan noted. Booth nodded unconsciously.

"I know. But I really missed this. Just hanging out with you, having dinner and talking."

"I would assume with your admirable abilities in social settings that you would have made friends in the army quiet easily." Brennan said. She was hoping for an opening in which to express her concern.

"There wasn't a lot of time for actual socializing Bones." He sighed. "We would wake up early, do the regular drills, and then I would take then and teach them something new. We practiced all the time, in all conditions. You become really close being isolated like that though, missing home and family and friends." He paused for a moment, Brennan noticed the far away look he had in his eyes. She wanted to know what he was seeing, what he was thinking about.

"They were my responsibility. Some of those kids were young enough to be my own…some of them were just kids." Booth didn't hear himself speaking, he was no longer in Brennan's living room. He was back in Afghanistan, trying to stop the bleeding. Private Edwards was dying all over again. There was so much blood. Those brown eyes were boring into his own. _"Sarge, it's not your fault."_

"Booth?...Booth!" Brennan was startled at Booth's behavior and at how quickly the night had shifted moods. She wanted to know what had happened in Afghanistan and a sad picture was starting to form for her. Booth felt an overwhelming desire to protect people. He never took his responsibilities lightly. She also knew that he held a lot of guilt for all the lives he had taken, and she was sure that he would be feeling even more guilt now that he had trained others to do what he had done. He had once told her that killing someone, taking someone's life "affects all of us…it is never just the one person who dies Bones, never."

"Booth." Brennan tried again to gain his attention. He seemed lost; the look on his face was scaring her because something was obviously terrifying him.

Booth looked up, all of a sudden, instead of seeing the brown eyes of Edwards, Teddy and Parker he found himself looking into the gray-blue eyes of Temperance Brennan.

"Bones." He said softly. He reached out and grabbed her hand, as if to make sure that she was really sitting in front of him. She stared back at him. Unsure of what to do, how to help him, but determined to try her best.

"I'm here Booth." She said, giving his hand a squeeze. He nodded.

"What happened?" Booth sighed and leaned back against the couch, he did not let go of her hand.

"We made it eight months before we lost anyone Bones. It had been easy to weed out the kids who weren't cut out for that type of work. I got them transferred right away. Those that were left…a lot of them reminded me of me, during my first tour. Before you see…anyway I did my best to disillusion them…we made it eight months before we lost anyone."

Brennan decided to ask the dangerous question. "Was it…was it your fault that he died."

"_Sarge, it's not your fault."_

"Right before he died, he grabbed my hand and looked me in the eyes and said that it wasn't my fault."

"Booth if it wasn't your fault then there is no reason to continue to deliberate over it." Brennan said seriously.

"I don't know if I should blame myself or not Bones. Maybe it was my fault, maybe it wasn't. He was losing so much blood." Booth shook his head and leaned forward. His voice was thick with emotion when he spoke again. "It was his eyes Bones…they were brown…and I just keeping seeing them all the time. And Edwards turns into Teddy and then Teddy turns into Parker." Booth got choked up and tried to blink away the tears.

Brennan didn't hesitate; she put her arms around him and held onto him tightly. She held onto him as he shook and as the tears refused to stop.

"It's going to be okay Booth." She said soothingly. "It's going to be okay."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and story alerts. Hope you are still enjoying! **

Brennan lay in her bed staring at the ceiling. Booth was in the guest room. After seeing him get hit with such a strong wave of emotions, Brennan had refused to let him leave; insisting that it would be better if he stayed. He had agreed once she had told him that she would feel better if he stayed.

She kept waiting to hear the sounds of a nightmare from the adjacent room but the apartment was silent. Brennan hoped that she had been supportive and compassionate enough towards him earlier. It was something that she was always uncertain about.

"_He's big and strong, but he is going to need someone."_ Hank's words played in her head. _"Don't be afraid."_ But she had been afraid. She had been so afraid of the intimate connection that she had formed with Booth, but also the relationships she had formed with her family and friends because of Booth's pushing. She had needed to get away because her relationships had made her too open…open. _"I don't have your kind of open heart."_

While in Muluku, Brennan had realized that she would care and worry about Booth no matter the distance between them. Lying in her bed, Brennan realized that even if she didn't believe that she had an open heart, Booth and her family and friends did. It was only logical that she had been so afraid because she had opened her heart to these people and allowed them into her heart the same way they had allowed her into theirs. A sense of calmness washed over her with this conclusion.

Although she had already decided that she wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with Booth, this new realization made her believe that she would be able to succeed in the relationship. Booth had been the one to teach her to have an open heart, she trusted him to continue to teach her.

A noise from the other room interrupted her thoughts. Brennan got out of bed and quickly made her way to the guest bedroom. She hesitated for a moment before opening the door. Booth was lying on his back, eyes closed, breathing slightly heavily. Brennan stood on the threshold unsure if she should enter or not. She wanted to, she wanted to wrap her arms around him and make the pain go away as he had done so many times for her.

"I'm sorry I woke you." His raspy voice startled her.

"I wasn't asleep so you didn't wake me." Brennan said. Booth nodded his head slowly. There was a moment of silence before Brennan finally followed her natural instinct and crossed the threshold into the guestroom. She made her way over to the bed and got in beside Booth.

"What are you doing?" He asked confused.

"Getting into bed with you." Brennan said in a tone that suggested his question was incredibly stupid.

"Why?" Booth asked unaffected by her tone.

"Because…because I want to make you feel better." She said. Booth burst out laughing at the implications and innuendos that could be derived from Brennan's otherwise very sweet statement. Brennan looked at him confused.

"Why are you laughing?" She tried not to let her tone betray how it hurt her that he was laughing at her attempt to be there for him. But he was FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth, and the man who loved her, he noticed.

"I wasn't laughing at you Bones." He said seriously. "When you said you were getting into bed with me to make me feel better I just imagined what Angela would have said." Brennan tried to suppress the smile that spread on her face as she thought about what Angela would say.

"I definitely see how that would be amusing; but I was not implying that we should have sexual intercourse." Booth cleared his throat uncomfortably as he always did whenever Brennan brought up sex. There was another moment of silence as they remembered why they weren't making love. Brennan stifled the urge to reveal her new-found conclusions on the matter. After everything that had happened that night, it was clear to Brennan that Cam was correct and she needed to tread lightly. She couldn't make the same mistakes she had made before. And she had to help him get rid of his metaphorical demons.

{}

Booth woke up with Brennan pressed up against him. For a glorious moment he forgot Afghanistan, for one moment the brown eyes of Edwards, Teddy and Parker weren't haunting him. His chest swelled with happiness, enjoying the domestic feeling of lying in bed with the woman he loved.

Then he remembered the night before, telling Brennan what had happened in Afghanistan. She had held him, comforted him, and been his rock. He could feel her acceptance of their friendship and intimacy more than he ever had before. He smiled. She really had grown a lot since they had met. He hoped that she was or had realized it also.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So sorry I haven't updated in a couple days. I had a small bout of writer's block. I will be gone for the weekend so I won't be able to update for a few days. I haven't had a lot of time to write these past few days and didn't have a lot of time to edit so I apologize for the mistakes. Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing and the story alerts. Hope you enjoy!**

"It's good to have you back Seeley." Cam said as she sat down across from Booth in the diner. She signaled for a cup of coffee.

"It's good to be back Camille." Booth smiled at her and took a sip of his coffee.

"So how are you doing?" She asked clasping her hands together. Booth shrugged.

"I'm doing good. Things are going back to normal. It's good." He said. Cam raised an eyebrow, clearly stating that she did not believe him.

"I was there the last time you came back from a tour Seeley." She said softly. Booth refused to look at her, instead focusing on the piece of pie in front of him.

"I just want to know that you're okay." Cam said seriously.

"I am Cam. It's better than the last time."

"Something happened over there Seeley. I'm not the only one who can see it. Frankly I'm surprised that Sweets hasn't cornered you and tried to make you talk about it yet." Booth had to chuckle at that, he had honestly wondered the same thing; not that he actually wanted to talk about what had happened with Sweets, Bones was the only person that he could really open up to.

"I haven't had the urge to gamble Camille. I'm better than I was before. I was more prepared for what I was going to be doing and seeing this time around than I was the first time." Cam nodded. For now she would accept it.

"Okay. How are things between you and Dr. Brennan?" She asked.

"Good." Booth shrugged. "I mean, it sucks not being partners but we're still the same as ever." Cam nodded.

"Have you talked to her about it?" Booth looked down at the pie again.

"About two months before she went to Indonesia…I told her how I felt and that I wanted to give us a shot." He looked uncomfortable and the sadness that he had thought he was able to control invaded his eyes.

"I'm going to guess that it didn't turn out well." Cam said sympathetically as she reached over and rested a hand on his arm.

"That's an understatement. But ya. So we both went away for a year and now…"

"Now?" Cam prompted. Booth sighed.

"I really don't know." Booth sighed again. "How are things going with you and Paul?" He asked, changing the subject. Cam smiled and bowed her head.

"It's going very well." She said. Booth smiled at her.

"I'm really glad." They sat talking about what Cam had done during the last year with everyone gone, they talked about Michelle and Paul. Suddenly Booth's phone rang. He jumped in surprise before answering.

"Gotta case." He said excitedly. Cam smiled at him, he did seem to be okay. She waved him off before finishing her coffee and heading back to the Jeffersonian.

{}

Brennan walked into the Jeffersonian. She walked up to her friends and gave each of them a hug as she thanked them. Then she walked into her office leaving her friends extremely confused.

{}

"There he is." Jared said as approached the table in the Founding Fathers where Booth was sitting. Booth smiled at his little brother. He got up and gave his brother a real guy hug before the two of them sat down.

"So how was Afghanistan?" Jared asked causally.

"Not a vacation." Booth responded.

"Really?" Jared said sarcastically, "I would have thought you would be laying on the beach with a bunch of babes." Booth laughed. He looked up and found himself face to face with Jared. Jared had brown eyes.

"I know that look." Jared said, bowing his head.

"What?" Booth asked confused.

"That look. It's your 'I'm really sorry you got hurt' look." Jared explained. Jared locked eyes with Booth again.

"_It's okay mommy." A seven year old Seeley Booth tried to comfort his mother as he cleaned the blood from her arm. After making sure that his mother was all cleaned up and okay, he tiptoed through the house, past his father who was passed out on the couch and into the bedroom he shared with his four year old brother Jared. Seeley gasped as he saw his brother cowering in the corner holding a hand to his face. As quietly and quickly as he could, Seeley ran to get a cold compress. He carefully pulled his brother into his arms and put the cold compress to his eye._

"_I'm so sorry Jared." He whispered. "I'm sorry."_

"Seel? Seeley?" Jared waved his hand in front of Booth's face. Booth snapped out of his memory and stared at his brother. He knew there was another set of brown eyes that would be haunting him now.

"So it definitely wasn't a vacation." Jared said avoiding Booth's eyes.

"I gotta go." Booth said miserably looking down at his half finished plate. In an uncharacteristic move, Jared grabbed his brother's arm gently.

"You're a good guy Seeley."

{}

Booth found himself walking into Brennan's office without knowing how he had gotten there. After meeting with Jared and adding yet more memories to those already haunting him the urge to gamble, to gain control over something had invaded his body. He took a deep breath and immediately felt a little better. Bones had helped him kick the habit once and for all. She had shown him just how much he could lose. He had made the ultimate gamble and had lost her. He made his was over to her couch and sat down. He had to chuckle at the irony of him finding peace in Brennan's house of science.

Brennan walked into her office and saw Booth sitting on her couch. She almost asked him if they had a case but managed to stop herself. They weren't partners at the moment.

"Booth? Are you okay?" She asked coming to sit next to him. He made a non-committal noise. Brennan nodded and stayed quiet.

"You know what's really funny Bones?" She looked at him. "I was feeling like crap, I actually…I almost went to the pool hall." Brennan opened her mouth to say something but Booth continued. "But I came here instead. And I just felt better." Brennan looked at him confused.

"That doesn't sound logical." She said. Booth smiled sadly.

"It makes perfect sense Bones." He looked into her eyes. She smiled at him.

"Maybe it does."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I always feel so bad when I haven't updated in a few days. Hope everyone is still enjoying the story. I really don't know how many more chapters there are going to be, I am letting the story control me rather than the other way around. Please let me know if everyone is in character, its what I was most worried about with this chapter. Also I know close to nothing about Psychology or PTSD so I apologize for any mistakes on that front. And thanks for reading!**

Booth woke up covered in sweat and breathing heavily. He frequently had nightmares about Brennan, but they had always been separate from the nightmares about Edwards, Teddy, Parker and Jared. This was the first time she had been included in a nightmare that had stemmed from Afghanistan. Booth groaned and flopped back down onto his bed. He looked at the clock; it read 4:27am. He was having fewer nightmares but they were becoming more intense.

{}

Brennan woke to the sound of knocking on her door. She turned towards her nightstand and saw that it was 5:30. Knowing it could only be one person, she quickly got out of bed and raced towards the door. Neither of them said anything as she let him in.

"Sorry I came over so early." Booth said lamely after he had been standing in her living room for a few silent minutes.

"It's okay, I don't mind." Booth gave her a look.

"I am being sincere Booth. I don't mind if you come over at normally not socially acceptable times. I…you have always been there when I needed you in the past. I want to be here for you now. It's what part…friends do for each other." Booth pulled her into strong hug which she gladly reciprocated.

"You've probably been hearing this a lot since you got back, but you really have grown a lot Bones." Brennan blushed slightly. "I've always known that you would have my back, but this is the first time you've told me."

"You've helped me evolve Booth. I now understand the importance of telling people the significance that they hold in your life."

"Is that why you went around hugging everyone at the lab and saying thank you a couple weeks ago?" Booth asked with an amused smile on his face. Brennan turned pink.

"How did you hear about that?" She asked.

"Cam asked me if something had happened, Hodgins was almost as surprised as when you told him you loved him." Booth chuckled at Brennan's expression.

"He told you about that?"

"Ya. He was trying to offer me some 'overly solicitous advice'." He smiled at her.

"Now that we have confirmed that I have people I hold in high significance in my life, are you going to tell me why you came over at 5:30 in the morning?" Booth's smiled faded. He moved towards her couch and plopped himself down before he responded.

"I had another nightmare."

"You said you've been having them since before you came back." Brennan noted as she came to sit down next to him.

"I have…but I don't know, they are becoming more intense and I can't make them go away." He sighed. Brennan didn't know what to say, she still had the occasional nightmare and didn't know how to get rid of them.

"Is it always the same thing? That young soldier dying?" She asked.

"It was always Edwards turning into Teddy, then turning into Parker….and now into Jared too. And I keep reliving this...memory from when I was little."

"You mean about your father?" Booth nodded.

"It's just one in particular: I was…I thought my dad had passed out, so I was helping my mom, cleaning her up and stuff and then I went into my room, Jared and I shared a room. And Jared was sitting in the corner holding onto his face. I hadn't protected him that night and he had gotten hit. It was the first time."

"And you still feel guilty about it." It was not a question but a statement. Booth was quiet.

"He looked so sad Bones. He was four, he didn't understand. I had always made sure that he never saw my dad hit my mom or me, so it was a shock to him. I failed him that night."

"Booth that was over thirty years ago. I am sure that Jared doesn't have any ill feelings towards you about that."

"He doesn't. But when I met up with him a couple weeks back, you know that day I had the urge to go to the pool hall but ended up in your office, I looked at him and he said he recognized the look I was giving him from that night. He's been added to my nightmares since then." Booth sighed deeply. Brennan watched him.

"Booth, I appreciate you coming to me for help and telling me these things. I know you are just as stubborn as I am about opening up about the past. But I really think that you should talk to Sweets, he may have an idea as to how to stop the nightmares." She said cautiously.

"You want me to go to the baby duck?" Booth asked skeptically. "Since when have you believe that a psychologist could be useful?"

"Booth, I may have grown, evolved, whichever word you choose to use but I know that I am not qualified to help you."

"I disagree." Brennan gave him a sad smiled.

"I want you to get better. I don't want you to have nightmares anymore. But you admitted that you don't know how to get rid of them and I don't have any ideas as how to make them go away either. Sweets on the other hand is a trained Psychologist." Booth had to bite back a smile at the disdain in Brennan's voice, obviously she still disliked psychology. "Although I think that psychology is largely ineffective and completely subjective, it has been useful on a few occasions." She held his gaze.

"Alright Bones, I'll go see Sweets later." He gave her a small smile.

{}

Sweets was overly excited; Booth had called him earlier and asked to set up an appointment for today. He had never thought the day would come when Booth would willingly set up an appoint with him. He had a couple times asked for help with Parker, but never for himself. Which to Sweets clearly indicated how much more importance Booth put on Parker's life than his own.

Booth walked through the door and sat down on the couch without any form of greeting. He really did not want to do this, but his ever logical part…Bones had a point. Neither of them were as equipped to help him as Sweets was.

"Hello Agent Booth."

"Sweets cut the Agent stuff okay." Sweets nodded.

"I'm surprised you decided to come see me, willing." Sweets confessed. Booth snorted.

"I'm surprised you having been harassing me, trying to get me to talk about what happened in Afghanistan since I got back." He retorted. Sweets turned pink.

"Well I learned my lesson from the last time. You really don't respond well to poking and prodding." Booth snorted again.

"Does anyone actually respond well to that?" Booth asked. Before Sweets could defend himself and his chosen profession, Booth shook his head and launched right into his problem.

"I've been having nightmares."

"About Afghanistan."

"I only lost one solider over there Sweets and he was even younger than you. And I just keep seeing his eyes. And then he turns into Teddy who turns into Parker and then Jared when he was four."

"And it's always the same dream?"

"Ya, but last night Bones was there too. Jared didn't turn into Bones or anything like that. That dream is only for people with brown eyes. But Bones…I've had nightmares about Bones before."

"More often than you'd like to admit." Sweets comment. He was quickly silenced by the look Booth gave him.

"The nightmares about Bones are nothing new. I've been having nightmares about her for years. And the nightmares about Jared I've had for years too."

"You often have nightmares about your childhood?" Sweets inquired with intense interest. Booth became defense as he always did when his childhood was brought up.

"That's none of your business Sweets. I'm talking about this poor kid who died in Afghanistan when he shouldn't have."

"Was it your fault?"

"He said it wasn't."

"The solider? He told you that in your dream?"

"No, right before he died he told me that I wasn't my fault." _"Sarge, It's not your fault."_

"Clearly you are harboring some guilt over his death; otherwise you wouldn't be having nightmares about him."

"I don't want an analysis of my nightmares Sweets, just tell me how to make them stop!"

"How are things going? I know you had a new case a few weeks ago."

"That case was a piece of cake, what does that have to do with anything?" Booth was getting very annoyed now.

"You're annoyed."

"You're being annoying. Listen Sweets, just tell me how to get rid of the nightmares so that I can get a decent night's sleep." He said aggressively. Sweets sighed.

"What I would suggest to any patient who I believed was suffering from PTSD would be therapy."

"Ya, not interested in therapy Sweets and I don't have PTSD. I am fine."

"Apart from the nightmares." Booth clenched his jaw. Sweets leaned forward in his chair.

"Booth, I am a trained psychologist. From what I can see, you have mild PTSD from being in Afghanistan. But you also have a lot of unresolved issues about your childhood and your father that are manifesting themselves as nightmares. Not to mention that fact that you are in love with Dr. Brennan and the relationship has not progressed the way you want it to."

"I'm pretty sure I told you not to mention my old man again." Booth said, his voice was low but dangerous. Sweets tried to look confident.

"Your issues about your father are clearly affecting you negatively. I don't think that you have truly gotten over the abuse you suffered in childhood." Booth was silent, but the expression on his face spoke loud and clear; Sweets had crossed a line. Sweets could feel the negative emotions that were radiating off of Booth; he knew that they were towards his father but that Booth was clearly going to project them towards him. Without saying anything, Booth got up and left the office, slamming the door so hard on his way out that Sweets jumped.

Sweets sighed. Booth undoubtedly had issues that he had been burying for years about his childhood and his father. His latest tour in Afghanistan had clearly unearthed some of those issues and had melded with the guilt he clearly felt over the death of the young soldier.

{}

"I'm concerned about Agent Booth." Sweets said as he approached Brennan who was sitting at her desk. Brennan looked up at him.

"I think his PTSD is worse than we all thought it was."

"What evidence do you have of that?" Brennan asked.

"He came to see me today -"

"Yes I know that, I convinced him to talk to you because psychology is your area of expertise and I was unsure of how to help him." Sweets shifted a little uncomfortably, Brennan sounded annoyed.

"Well I think coming to see me was the right thing to do. He needs help."

"Your evidence Dr. Sweets." Brennan demanded. Sweets nodded his head before speaking again.

"The nightmares he's been having. They aren't just from Afghanistan. They're from his childhood as well. He said he's been having nightmares about one time when Jared was abused by their father." Brennan lowered her head.

"Yes I know, he told me about his nightmares. But the nightmares about Jared and his childhood have occurred throughout his life."

"But they have been compounded by his experience in Afghanistan. Booth is someone who prides himself on being the protector. He has the psyche of a true warrior. He has spent his entire life being the protector. His nightmares are replaying the times in which he was unable to protect people that he cared about." Sweets paused for a moment, "he has nightmares about you too." Brennan's head snapped up.

"He didn't tell me that. He told me about the other nightmares, why wouldn't he tell me that I was in his nightmares?"

"Did something happen between the two of you?" Sweets asked instead of answering her question.

"What do you mean?" Brennan asked trying to buy herself some time.

"Well, if something significant happened between you two, I would say that he didn't tell you because of what happened; he wouldn't want you to feel guilty about his having nightmares about you." Sweets' tone clearly indicated what he thought had happened. Brennan lowered her head again.

"Our relationship is fine Sweets." She said, even to her it didn't sound fully convincing.

"He is going to need a lot of help." Sweets said instead of pursuing his curiosity about what had transpired between his favorite former patients. He had already pushed Booth over the edge today, he wasn't going to do push Brennan too.

"Is there something specific I can do to help him?"


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading! This chapter has a lot of introspection, so please tell me if the character development is okay or if I went overboard with anything. (Thanks). Also I may actually know less about Anthropology than I do Psychology so I apologize if I got that part wrong. Hope you enjoy! **

After Brennan finished her conversation with Sweets, in which he convinced her that the only way Booth was going to stop having nightmares would be to go through therapy and actually deal with the issues he had, she decided to find Booth and convince him to start therapy as soon as possible. It was not hard to find him, even though they had spent a year apart she still knew him better than she knew anyone else.

As she had suspected, he was sitting at their usual table at the diner, staring into his coffee cup as if it held all the answers to his problems.

"Hey." She said as she sat down across from him.

"Hey, Bones."

"Sweets came to see me." Booth looked up at her, his eyes darkening angrily.

"He's concerned about you." She said, Booth snorted.

"I'm concerned about you." Brennan said shyly, Booth let out a breath.

"I know." He said seriously.

"Sweets didn't tell me what happened when you went to see him but he thinks that you have a lot of issues that you need to deal with. He suggested therapy. It doesn't even have to be with him."

"I have issues?" Booth asked sarcastically. Brennan gave him a look.

"Ya I know. But therapy? Come on Bones, you don't believe in any of that stuff. And I'm fine."

"You're having serious nightmares." Brennan said seriously leaning forward. Booth looked at her but stubbornly refused to say anything. They sat in silence, both lost in their thoughts before Brennan made an unexpected admission,

"I need you to get better." Booth's head shot up, if he had not seen her lips move he would have assumed that he had imagined her saying that. "I have come to realize, and more importantly come to accept that I am…somewhat dependent on you, especially emotionally and therefore I need you to get better." Booth was silent; it was not stubbornness like before, but because he was too shocked to say anything. This was something that he never thought he would hear from Temperance Brennan. Brennan was known, infamous almost in her need for independence. To be the person that she depended on, not only physically, but emotionally was both thrilling and terrifying. And it gave him hope that maybe he could have the future with her that he had been yearning for.

Before Booth could recover and respond to Brennan's admission, she got up and left the diner, she hoped that he would come to the right decision and decide to go through with the therapy. Although she did not put much stock in psychology, she did not see another more logical option.

{}

"You've seemed a little down these past couple weeks Park, is something wrong?" Booth asked his son as they set up the dominoes.

"You've seemed down too Dad." He said, parroting his father's words. Booth was shocked into silence for the second time that day. Parker took this as a cue to continue. "Since you got back from the war, you've been a little different." He shrugged. "You're a lot more scared that I'm going to get hurt. But I'm older now than when you left. I'm almost eleven. And sometimes it's like you're not even here."

"I'm sorry Bud, I didn't realize I was checking out on you."

"I dunno, you just seem kinda sad."

"And that's making you feel sad?"

"Ya." Parker said as though it should be obvious. Booth took a moment to reflect on what his son had said. It was very similar to the conversation he had had with Brennan at the diner earlier.

"I'm always happy when I get to see you Parker. I love you very much." He gave his son a hug. "But you're right; there are some things that are bothering me."

"Because of the war?"

"Ya. But I promise I am going to do everything I can to make those things go away."

"I love you too Dad." Parker said, giving Booth another hug.

{}

Booth walked quietly through his apartment after checking on Parker once again. He knew that it was irrational (he didn't need seven years of knowing Bones to know it was irrational for him to check on his son every ten minutes) but he couldn't stop himself from doing it. Booth picked up his cell phone and dropped onto the couch.

Brennan was sitting on her couch contemplating her earlier conversation with Booth at the diner. She was worried that she may have crossed a line, but she did not regret a single thing that she said to him. It had taken her almost a half hour to work up the courage to admit to him that she was somewhat dependent on him and that was one of the reasons that she needed him to get better. Anthropologically, she knew that being dependent on him the way she was and being as supportive of him as she wanted to be indicated a relationship that was much more than simply friends. It was indicative of something people did for people that they shared an extremely close emotional bond with, for someone that they loved. Brennan was shocked that she had proven she loved Booth using Anthropology. While it was not the scientific part of Anthropology, it definitely fell within the parameters of cultural anthropology.

She had known deep down for a while that the strong emotions that she felt towards Booth were more than friendship, even best friends. She was just afraid of admitting that she loved him. Love had not been kind to her in the past. However, love had not been kind to Booth either in the past, not with an abusive alcoholic father and a mother who abandoned him and he still managed to be one of the most kindhearted person she had ever met. He loved. He loved her. At least he had a year ago, she was now worried that he had moved on, even without any evidence to support that he had. The point she was trying to make to herself was that Booth had been hurt by love in a similar way that she had but he was still able to open his heart up and love again. Brennan decided that Booth was worth the risk of loving again. She didn't think that there would be anyone else in the world that she could feel that same about.

She was shaken from her thoughts by her phone ringing.

"Brennan." She answered.

"Hey, Bones." His voice made her smile.

"Hey, Booth." She was unsure of what to say, if he wanted to talk about their earlier conversation.

"I'm not bothering you am I?" He asked.

"No, not at all." Brennan said immediately.

"Ok. Listen I was thinking about what you said earlier…at the diner." Brennan waited silently. "I know I was being really uncooperative. I just…I don't really have an excuse for it. But I wanted to tell you that I am going to give the therapy a shot. I have no idea how I am going to get through it but, hey if it makes the nightmares go away…"

"Hello?" He asked when she didn't respond.

"I'm still here; I just didn't know what to say. What made you decide to go through with therapy?" She asked.

"You and Parker."

"Really?"

"Ya. I guess I just didn't realize before how much you guys cared about me and how much you need me to get better…I feel the same way about the two of you. If one of you is down, I feel down too. It affects more than just the one person." Brennan was touched at his words. She whispered what sounded like "thank you" before clearing her throat.

"Are you going to see Sweets or a different psychologist?"

"Sweets, the kid already knows about me and my past and everything. I really hate to break in a new guy." Brennan chuckled.

"Hey, Bones…"

"Yes?"

"Um…if it's not too much to ask…I'd like you to be there with me." A soft smiled graced her face.

"Of course I'll be there."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: So sorry for not updating. I thought I would be less busy this weekend and instead it was the opposite. This chapter gave me a little trouble, maybe because it's chapter 13. Anyway hope you enjoy! And thanks for reading. **

"_Daddy?" Four year old Seeley walked up to his father who was surrounded by more beer bottles than the little boy could count at the time. All he got was a grunt in response.  
_

"_Mommy's hurt." The little boy said. He was confused. He had seen his father hit his mother before, but he had never seen blood. Again he only got a grunt in response. Later he would know that this was a sign to retreat, but this had not yet become the routine. _

"_Daddy?" He said again, wanting to stress the fact that he thought his father should help his mother since he didn't know how to help her. She always took care of his skinned knees. _

"_Will you shut the hell up you stupid piece of crap!" His father yelled. Seeley took a couple steps back in surprise. The first blow came before Seeley could register that his father had even advanced towards him. He tried to dodge the second one which only earned him another three._

"_It's okay mommy." A seven year old Seeley tried to comfort his mother as he cleaned the blood from her arm. After making sure that his mother was all cleaned up and okay, he tiptoed through the house, past his father who was passed out on the couch and into the bedroom he shared with his four year old brother Jared. Seeley gasped as he saw his brother cowering in the corner holding a hand to his face. As quietly and quickly as he could, Seeley ran to get a cold compress. He carefully pulled his brother into his arms and put the cold compress to his eye._

"_I'm so sorry Jared." He whispered. "I'm sorry."_

_Booth stood shooting off round after round at the enemy ignoring the soldiers around him. He just wanted to eliminate the threat. The shooting stopped and Booth lowered his weapon and looked around. There were many men who were lying lifelessly on the ground. His protective instinct kicked in; he raced to the closest fallen comrade. _

"_Joe! Joe!" He yelled, shaking his friend, trying to get his eyes to open. This was the first action he had been thrown into. Joe had taught him everything there was to know about being a soldier. _

"_He's dead." A voice said from behind him. Booth turned around. Their squad leader was standing there watching him. Booth didn't respond, he couldn't say anything. The squad leader helped him up and began to walk him back to the base. As they walked Booth could see all the fallen soldiers; tears began to sting his eyes. There was blood everywhere. _

"_Teddy, come on Teddy, you're going to make it." Booth repeated over and over again as he ran through the desert jungle to the designated pick-up spot. He stopped hearing anything back from Teddy as he approached the safety zone. He quickly lowered Teddy to the ground and tried to keep him alive. But it was too late. _

_There was blood everywhere, more blood than Booth thought one person could lose. It was seeping into his shoes, soaking his clothes. He couldn't stop it. Private Edwards' breathing was becoming more and more shallow. "Sarge, it's not your fault."_

Booth woke up in a cold sweat. He cursed Sweets several times over in frustration. Weeks of therapy and the nightmares had only become longer and more intense. He looked over at his clock. He longed for the days that he had been able to sleep past four thirty in the morning. Angrily, he threw the covers aside and jumped out of bed, dropping to the floor in one fluid movement and began to do pushups.

{}

"You're angry." Brennan stated unnecessarily, he had punched the wall in Sweets' office.

"Ya, I'm angry." He responded. He didn't mean to be harsh with her, but he was having difficulty keeping his anger in check at the moment and that was infuriating him more than his anger towards Sweets.

"Why?" Brennan asked, she did not attempt to sooth him yet.

"Because! It's been weeks that I've been doing Sweets' stupid therapy and the nightmares are only getting worse and I just keep getting angry. I don't like being angry." He looked at her hard, his eyes revealing his biggest worry.

"You never lose control of your anger Booth. You are not your father." Her voice was soft but strong. She was determined to convince him that he could never be the horrible man that his father was. Booth let out a loud sigh and threw himself down on her couch.

"These sessions with Sweets are making me so angry, I'm not getting anywhere."

"Please don't give up Booth. I have never known you to be someone who gave up." Brennan said, coming to stand in front of him.

"You're not your father." Brennan repeated. She knew that he was afraid of losing control of his anger and becoming like his father. But she knew him. He was not like that. He would never hurt anyone he cared about the way his father had hurt him.

"I think Sweets is deliberately trying to make you angry." She continued when he didn't say anything.

"I know he is." Booth said. Brennan looked surprised.

"If you know that he is doing it deliberately, then why do you continue to get angry?" Brennan asked, confused by his logic.

"Because…I can't help it Bones. Whenever someone mentions my dad I just…" He trailed off; he really did not want to talk about his father. Sweets had been almost constantly bringing him up during every one of their sessions. There had been a couple times in which Booth really had been tempted to hit Sweets just to get him to stop talking about his father.

Brennan simply nodded at his answer. She had seen how the sessions with Sweets were affecting Booth, she was unsure if she should force him to continue. She had to agree with Booth: he did not seem any better, the nightmares were getting worse and the sessions always left Booth either extremely angry because they talked about his father, or extremely depressed because they talked about his time in the first Gulf war and Afghanistan.

"I would normally say that this situation gives evidence to my belief that psychology is a soft and useless science. However, looking at it from a logical point of view, I would have to compare it to any number of diseases in which the patient has to get worse before they can get better." Booth exhaled loudly through his nose.

"You're probably right." He said. Then he smiled. "You're always right." She smiled back at him, grateful to see a smile on his face.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I didn't have a lot of time to finish and edit so I apologize for the mistakes. Enjoy!**

Booth leaned against the counter and ordered himself another scotch and Brennan another glass of red wine. He made his way back to the table where Brennan sat with Cam, Angela, Hodgins and Sweets. They had had drinks as a group since they had all returned to DC but they had been a lot less frequent than they had been before everyone had gone away. Tonight however Brennan had an important announcement to make. She raised her glass.

"I have an announcement to make." They all turned towards her and gave her their attention.

"I have decided to go back to consulting for the FBI." She said. Before anyone could say anything, Booth enveloped her into a hug. He whispered thank you into her ear before pulling away. Brennan would never admit it, but one of the reasons she had decided to go back to helping the FBI was because of the troubles Booth was having; she felt that if things got back to the way they had been before they had left, it would help him.

"That's great Sweetie." Angela said after they pulled apart.

"This is great Bones! We'll be partners again."

"I've already been reinstated as your partner. I told Andrew to keep it a secret because I wanted to surprise you." Booth was so thrilled to be getting his partner back that he didn't even get the usual flare of jealousy he usually got when Brennan called his boss Andrew instead of AD Hacker.

"A toast." Hodgins said raising his beer. "To the partners."

{}

The next two months passed quickly, cases kept everyone busy. They all fell into the old rhythm instantly. Everything went back to normal. The nightmares began to ebb away; they became less intense and less frequent.

"So why are we celebrating?" Brennan asked as Booth poured her a scotch from his good bottle. "We haven't finished the case yet." Booth gave her a charm smile and plopped down next to her.

"We are celebrating the fact that I actually got six hours of nightmare free sleep." Brennan smiled widely. She raised her glass to him in a toast.

"Congratulations." She said. Her voice was softer than they both expected. She was filled with emotion, simple pride and relief that he was finally showing signs of recovery.

"Thanks, Bones." He replied gratefully. The smile she was giving him was worth all the therapy sessions that he had to endure with Sweets.

They continued to look into each others eyes and each slowly became aware that they were having a 'moment'. It was during these moments when both of them believed that something was there between them and that the right thing to do would be to act on it. For almost seven years they had been too afraid to act on it. They had let countless moments slip by them, always telling themselves that there would be another moment and that they would have the courage to take the risk.

However at this moment, neither of them knew what to do. Neither of them wanted the moment to end, but there was still something holding them back.

"_Something has to change"_ Those had been his words. And yet they sat there on his couch unable to make the change. It was as if they were frozen.

Booth hoped that Brennan would be the first one to break the silence, tell him something that would give him hope or finally take that next step that he had been waiting for her to take for years.

Brennan hoped that Booth would be the first to break the silence, tell her that she would be making the right decision if she leaned in closer and kissed him like she yearned to do.

In the end it was Booth who spoke first. He knew her. She would always doubt herself in a decision such as this one, so he decided to give her a little help.

"I knew." He said softly, there was no desperation in his voice as there had been that fateful night he had gambled on her. "I knew at the beginning. I knew that night. And I know now." He gulped as he tried to remain calm. They had not broken eye contact since he had thanked her.

Brennan absorbed his words and carefully processed them. With a small, slightly vulnerable smile she leaned forward and gently places her lips on his. He couldn't think, luckily he didn't need to think in order for his body to respond to her. The kiss was extremely gentle and short. But it was exactly what they needed.

{}

Booth walked into Brennan's office a little more cautiously than he normally would have. After the kiss they had shared, they had mutually decided to end the night there. They had made a huge leap forward in their relationship and it was not something to be rushed. Booth wanted to make sure that he never lost her the way he had over a year ago. Brennan wanted to make sure that she was ready to enter into a romantic relationship with Booth.

"Hey."

"Hey, Booth." Brennan said looking up from the file she was reading.

"Ready for lunch?" He asked. Without waiting for an answer he walked to her coat-rack and picked up her jacket and held it out for her. Brennan rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"I really enjoy the diner." Brennan said, trying to make small talk as they walked towards the diner. Booth stopped suddenly. Brennan stopped and turned towards him. He looked as though he was about to say something and it distinctly began to feel like that night he had told her he wanted to take a chance. She began to feel the same flood of panic enter her system. Brennan began to think of a way to distract him; she did not want to have this conversation in front of the diner.

"Booth -" Booth raised a hand to interrupt her. Brennan moved next to him.

"Do you know that man?" She asked looking at the man Booth seemed unable to stop looking at. The man turned around and she saw his face. Brennan held the title of being the best forensic anthropologist in the world. She was easily able to see similar physiological characteristics and distinguish familial traits. Booth and Jared shared similar features and she could see the features that Parker had inherited from Booth.

"Booth is that your father?"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thanks for reading and all the reviews. I had originally intended to have the confrontation between Booth and his father in this chapter but turns out that his father is harder to write than I thought. Plus I really love BB, and the Booth/Cam friendship and decided to include some of the supporting players since they haven't been present in a while. Anyway I'll do my best to get the next chapter up within the next two days. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

"What happened?" Cam asked concerned as she followed Brennan and Booth into the anthropologist's office. She had looked up from her autopsy table to see Brennan gently but quickly guiding a distraught looking Booth towards her office. Neither of them answered.

Brennan was concerned about the effect that seeing his father would have on Booth. He had been doing well, even managing a couple nights without nightmares and Sweets had stopped bringing up his father in every session.

"I'm going to ask again and this time one of you is going to answer. What happened?" She moved quickly so that she was facing both of them.

"We saw Booth's father on our way to the diner." Brennan said quickly. Cam stared at her in shock.

"You saw Seeley's father?"

"Yes." Brennan said, not paying much attention to the pathologist as she looked at Booth who had his head in his hands and was refusing to talk. Cam opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She took a breath to compose herself, but even when she opened her eyes she couldn't think of anything to do or say.

"Did he see you?" She asked cautiously. Both Brennan and Booth looked up.

"I don't know." Brennan responded and looked at Booth but it appeared that he didn't know either.

"Okay. And you're sure it's him? It's been almost thirty years since you've seen him." Booth nodded.

"I was able to discern specific facial and physiological characteristics between Booth and his father that are apparent in both Jared and Parker as well." Booth shuddered.

"Don't use Parker and my father in the same sentence."

"I was just explaining -"

"I know. But the thought of it makes me sick. Parker doesn't know anything about my dad and it is going to stay that way." Brennan and Cam nodded, his tone made it perfectly clear that they would not be forgiven easily if Parker found out anything about his grandfather.

"So what do we do?" Brennan asked.

"There's no rulebook on how to deal with a situation like this Bones." Cam, a part of her only wanting to prevent the inevitable bickering, went into her full authoritative mode.

"Okay. Booth's father is here in DC. They haven't seen each other in thirty years and neither of you know if he saw you. We can't do anything other then wait to see if he tries to contact you. And we should call your Pops and Jared too to inform them of the situation."

"That's a good idea Cam. Logically there is nothing we can do right now because we don't even know if he actually wants to see you or is simply visiting DC."

"You're right. You're both right." Booth said. He dug into his pocket for his phone and quickly called Jared and Pops to tell them to be on the lookout.

"Booth…perhaps you should tell Sweets that we saw your father today." Brennan suggested cautiously. She knew that her suggestion could potentially blow up in her face.

"What good would that do?" Booth asked.

"I am not sure." Brennan admitted.

"For now, how about we just keep this to ourselves." Cam suggested.

All three started at the knock on the door.

"Sorry to interrupt." Angela said. "But there is someone here who says he wants to talk to Booth." Booth's eyes grew wide.

"It can't be." Brennan breathed out. Cam sat still, her jaw clenched.

"It can't be what?" Angela asked, she could tell that something was obviously wrong.

"Where is this man now Ange?" Brennan asked.

"With Hodgins, near the platform. Why? What is going on?"

"Nothing Angela. It's nothing." Booth said getting up and straightening his tie. "Bones is it okay if I talk to him in here?"

"What?" Brennan and Cam exclaimed together.

"You can't be serious." Cam said.

"I am serious. I think I should talk to him." Brennan and Cam looked at him as though he belonged in the Looney bin.

"Will someone please tell me who that man is?" Angela asked, she turned to Brennan but it was Booth who answered.

"My father."

{}

Brennan and Cam spent the next fifteen minutes trying to talk Booth out of speaking with his father.

"Why do you think it would be productive to talk to him?" Brennan asked. "There is no logical reason for you to talk to him."

"I agree with Dr. Brennan." Cam said. "He doesn't deserve to have you give him the time of day."

"You are going to forgive him. He doesn't deserve your forgiveness."

"He was sick Bones. He may have gone through the program."

"Your optimism is endearing but I cannot share it. Not after what he did to you." They entered one of their patented staring contests.

Angela and Hodgins walked into the office unnoticed by the three occupants.

"We told him that you weren't here." Hodgins announced, breaking the silence. Three heads turned towards him.

"Thank you." Cam said before turning and addressing Booth once again. "Seeley, you really need to think about this."

"Cam is right Booth." Angela said.

"I know. I know." Booth sighed heavily and fell back down onto Brennan's couch. He turned to her, pleading with his eyes that she would give him the right answer. Brennan looked into the eyes of the man she loved –

She swallowed, she had figured out that she loved him before but to actually think it in a social setting scared her. Although it was completely illogical, she had an uncomfortable feeling that her friends may be able to read her thoughts and she had not shared with anyone that she loved Booth.

She looked into Booth's eyes and knew what she had to do in order to help him make his decision.

"Could you guys give us a moment alone?" She asked. Angela and Hodgins nodded right away and left the room. Cam hesitated, but then followed the other two out of the office, closing the door behind her.

"I have to tell you something about your father that Hank told me." Brennan said as she sat down next to Booth, she did not face him. Booth turned to her completely bewildered.

"He told me to tell you when the time is right. I don't know if the time is right now, but because of the decision you are trying to make, I think you need to know all the facts."

"Bones?..."

"Hank told me about the day your father left." Booth visibly relaxed.

"I told you about when he left Bones. He just left and never came back."

"He didn't just leave." She said.

"What? Ya he did Bones. I think I would know." Brennan shook her head and blinked to keep the tears at bay.

"No. Hank told me that he came in one day and saw your father beating you. He said that he got so angry and was so appalled that his own son was beating his grandson. He pulled your father off of you and told him that he didn't deserve to be a father and then told him to leave. Hank told him to leave. And then he never came back." They sat in silence when Brennan finished talking. Booth did not know how to respond to what he had just been told.

"Hank doesn't feel good about making your father leave." Brennan felt the need to tell him after five minutes of intense silence. "He just didn't know what else to do. And personally I think he did the right thing." Booth's face was suddenly graced with an affectionate smile, one that she had seen every time he looked at Hank.

"Pops saved my life Bones. And I am forever grateful that he did."

"You're not mad that he made your father leave?"

"He didn't make my father leave Bones. He told my father to go. My father didn't have to go, and he could have come back. He didn't. It doesn't change anything." Booth rested his head against the back of her sofa, looking exhausted. They were engulfed in silence once again, but it was much calmer than before.

"_And you'll hold him, if he needs it."_ Hank's voice replayed in her head. She placed her head on his shoulder and held him as best she could while sitting next to him. He easily fell into her embrace and even though he had not come to a decision, he thanked God once again that he had Pops and Brennan in his life.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update. I had a lot of trouble with the chapter and after much deliberation, re-writes and editing I think it is finally ready to post. I really really hope its satisfying. It may not be what you were expecting. To be honest it was not what I was expecting but once I started writing... Anyway I hope you enjoy!**

"Bones, where are we going?" Booth asked as he sulked in the passenger's seat. He was in no mood or state of mind to drive, but he really hated being in the passenger's seat.

"I think it would be beneficial for you to talk to Hank about this." Brennan responded, momentarily taking her eyes off the road to look at him.

"Thanks, Bones." He replied softly.

"I didn't do anything." Brennan said.

"Ya you did Bones." Brennan decided to not enter into an argument with him and instead said,

"You're welcome."

{}

"Shrimp! Temperance!" Hank Booth pulled himself out of his chair as he saw them approach.

"Hey, Pops" Booth said giving his grandfather a hug. Hank let go of Booth and then embraced Brennan.

"What are you two kids doing in my neck of the woods?"

"We aren't in the woods." Brennan stated.

"Too literal Bones." Booth said, he couldn't hold back a smile at the familiarity of the situation.

"Oh."

"Let's go to my room."

Hank sat down on his bed across from Brennan and Booth.

"Well, are either of you going to start talking?" Hank asked. He had a hunch about why they were there, but he wanted his grandson to tell him.

"Pops…Um…" Booth sighed, "My dad wants to talk to me."

"Uh huh."

"Should I talk to him?" He asked. Hank sighed heavily and looked towards Brennan.

"I told him." She said, correctly reading his face. Hank nodded.

"You wanna talk to him?" Hank asked.

"I don't know. A part of me wants to. A part of me wants to….hide somewhere." Booth admitted.

"You've never hid from anything in your life Seeley." Hank stated seriously and sincerely.

"You are very courageous." Brennan added. Booth gave them a small smile.

"Do you want to come with me?"

"I don't think so Shrimp." Booth didn't push it. He wasn't even fully sure he wanted his grandfather to be there with him.

"I'll go with you." Brennan spoke up, displaying once again her willingness to do anything for him.

"No." Booth said sternly.

"What?"

"There is no way you and my dad are ever going to be in the same room."

"Booth I can take care of myself. And besides your alpha male tendencies make you extremely overprotective so I really don't have anything to worry about."

"She has a point." Hank pointed out. Booth threw him a glare.

"No." He repeated. Brennan crossed her arms and sent him her own glare.

"You really want me to come with you Seeley? Cause I don't think I should talk to him. I don't have anything to say to him and he obviously doesn't want to talk to me. " Hank asked seriously. Booth exhaled loudly.

"This probably something that I need to do myself." He said.

"Okay then. Now, wanna play some dominoes before you go?" Booth laughed.

"I'll kick your ass."

An hour later, after Hank had properly beaten both Booth and Brennan at dominoes, the duo got up to leave. They said their goodbyes and promised to come and visit him soon, with Parker. Neither of them corrected Hank's implication that perhaps they had transformed into something more than just partners and friends.

Booth spun on his heel and stopped Pops from closing the door.

"Should I forgive him?" He asked. Pops stared at his grandson.

"I can't tell you to forgive him or not to forgive him. It's something you gotta decide for yourself." Hank replied.

"Have you?"

"Forgiven him?" Hank thought for a moment. "Yes I think I have. He's my son; parents always find it in them to forgive their kids eventually."

{}

Booth paced his living room. His father had given Angela a phone number when he had visited the Jeffersonian.

"You don't have to do this." Brennan said from the couch as she watched him.

"I need to."

"Why?"

"I don't know. And I know that doesn't make any sense to you but I feel like I have to."

"Well I've learned to trust your gut instincts." Booth smiled at her. Then he picked up the phone and dialed the number that was written on the piece of paper. It rang three times.

"Hello?" A deep yet familiar voice answered. Booth inhaled involuntarily.

"Hi." He said slowly.

"Seeley?" The bad childhood memories flooded into his head and Booth struggled to speak.

"Ya. You said you wanted to talk to me. I'll give you twenty minutes." Brennan continued to sit on the couch and watch him. His tone was similar to the one he used with suspects he was sure had committed a horrific crime. There was no sympathy, none of his usual compassion or exuberance.

"That's not really much time to -"

"It's more than enough time. I really don't think there is much to say." He heard his father sigh.

"Alright."

"I'll meet you wherever you're staying."

"123 Crescent."

"Tomorrow 12:30." Booth hung up the phone without waiting for a response. He sunk down next to Brennan, his heart beating fast. Brennan silently grasped his hand and held on tightly.

{}

Booth had not gotten any work done that morning as he waited for noon to arrive. He was impatiently tapping on the steering wheel as he waited for the light to turn green. He was going to meet his father. For the first time in thirty years he was going to be in the same room with the man who had beaten him and had pushed him to attempt suicide. He thanked Pops for finding him and talking him out of it. He thanked God that he had Pops when there were and are other kids out there in similar situations who didn't and don't have anyone.

Booth parked the car in front of the modest house that bore the address he had been given. It wasn't a hotel or an inn so he assumed that his father was staying with a friend. He really didn't know if he could handle the knowledge that his father had been so close all these years.

He had missed his parents, his mother had committed suicide when he was seven and his father had left when he was eleven. But more than missing his actual physical father, he missed the normalcy of having parents. His father had not been loving or caring, but Booth had missed the notion of having parents. He loved his Pops, but it wasn't the same. He wanted parents. He ached for it for years. Booth wanted to tell his mother that he had found the perfect woman. He wanted his father to teach his son about baseball. But this was all a fantasy. In reality, he and Pops taught Parker about baseball. In reality, his mother would never complain that Brennan wasn't Catholic but that she loved her all the same.

He did not remember much about his childhood before he and Jared moved in with Pops. He did not have a clear picture of his mother, or a clear idea of the type of person she was. Pops had told him that she was a wonderful, caring woman. But what wonderful caring woman would leave her two young sons with an abusive alcoholic? Booth hated thinking like that, he knew better than most that sometimes you just can't take it anymore.

Booth had asked Pops once if his father had always had anger issues. Pops had said no. He had said that as a boy, he had had a little bit of a temper. He had said that his father had had a tough time coming home after Vietnam. Booth had asked if it had been whatever had happened in Vietnam that had turned his father into an alcoholic and Pops had answered that he believed it was a part of it.

That was the part that bothered Booth the most. That Vietnam was a part of it. That meant that there was another part. And while Pops, Sweets and Brennan had told him numerous times that it wasn't his fault, he couldn't help but believe that if he had been a better son that his father would not have needed to drink.

And yet he knew how war could transform someone. He had become a gambling addict the first time he had returned from the Gulf because he had been unable to handle it. But he had never hurt anyone. He had never hit Pops, Cam, Rebecca or Parker. And he had been able to see (with the help from some friends) that he needed help and he had gotten over his gambling addiction.

Jared had seen a lot too, he had been part of military intelligence which is not easy. Jared had had a problem with alcohol too. But even he had never hurt anyone. Yes he had gotten into a few bar fights and a couple car accidents on account of his drinking, but he had never gone after the people that he cared about. And he too had been able to overcome his drinking problem.

So how come his father had been unable to do so? How come having a wife and two children wasn't enough for him to seek help? Or to want to change? Was it simply that he didn't care about them at all?

"You just gonna stand there all day or you gonna come in?" The familiar deep voice shook Booth from his internal ramblings. He followed his father inside after only a moment's hesitation. He couldn't believe that he had put himself willingly in the same room as the man that had caused his family so much pain.

Booth stood defensively near the door facing his father. He did not want to be there any longer than was strictly necessary. Also, he had no idea how to act, as he had told Brennan, there's no rule book for this sort of situation.

"We don't have to stand in the doorway." Booth didn't move.

"Why'd you want to talk to me?" He asked. He had learned from his beloved partner that sometimes it's better to just cut to the chase and be blunt. Joe Booth sighed.

"I know you don't really have good memories of me Seeley." Booth waited for this father to continue.

"I've been sober for a while now. But I've been a coward. Took me forever to work up the courage to come here and talk to ya." Booth remained silent.

"You're not gonna make this easy for me are you." In spite of himself, Booth scoffed.

"Why should I make it easy for you?" He asked, his voice full of resentment.

"I didn't want to leave you know."

"I know. I had to be told of course since I was unconscious when Pops actually kicked you out." Booth clenched his jaw. He did not want to lose his temper. Joe decided to ignore the jab.

"I wanted to apologize to you and Jared. But I figured I owed you a bigger apology, making your life so difficult." Booth didn't know how to respond. A part of him wanted to forgive his father, but a part of him wanted to scream and hit him. He was momentarily glad he left his gun in his car. Joe took his son's silence as a cue to continue.

"Anyway, I've gone through the program, been sober for almost six years now. Had to stop drinking cause the docs told me I wasn't gonna live much longer if I didn't." He cleared his throat.

"I know I haven't got a right to ask this, but I would really like to be a part of your life, and Jared's. I heard you gotta kid too. Outta wedlock, but none of us are perfect." Booth's temper snapped at the mention of Parker.

"You are not allowed to mention my son EVER! Is that clear? And don't you dare bring up religion, Parker is one of the best things that's happened to me, and I'm pretty sure that the church doesn't look to kindly on men who abuse their kids! You had no f***ing right to ask to come back into our lives after thirty years. And it's not the abandonment thing, because I could forgive that with a legit excuse. But the pain you caused Pops and Jared and Mom and Me. No! I don't know if I can ever forgive you for that." Booth hadn't realized that he had been yelling until another old man, around the same age as his father entered the corridor. The old man didn't say anything, he simply looked at Booth.

Booth felt like punching a wall but he was ashamed of the loss of control he had already displayed.

"I'm just trying to make things right." His father said. There was desperation in his voice and squeezed Booth's heart.

"You can't." He said bluntly. "You could spend the next thirty years trying to make it up to Jared and me but it won't change the fact that you beat us. Or that you drove our mother to commit suicide. Or that Pops had to deal with the fact that his only son was a monster and then left him with two kids." Booth could feel himself getting increasingly angry the more he thought about it. His control was slipping but he was determined not to lay a hand on his father. He would not become him.

"You only know me as that man Seeley. You don't know me now. People can change." His father tried to reason.

"Ya people can change! People change all the time! And right now you may be a decent guy and maybe I should give you a second chance, God knows how many times I've told Bones to give her father a second chance. But I really don't think I have it in me!" At this, Joe began to lose his patience.

"Will you quit yelling! I'm just trying to have a conversation here! You're the one losing his temper." Booth stared at his father.

"I've spent my whole life blaming myself for what you did. I thought that maybe if I was a better son you wouldn't need to drink and therefore you wouldn't need to hurt anyone. Just because you left didn't mean that you were gone. I've had nightmares about you my whole life. Lately they've been going away because I actually agreed to go to counseling since they were getting so bad." Booth inhaled deeply.

"I feel so much better after having yelled at you." Booth looked down. "And that kills me because it makes me like you. And that is one of the things I'm most afraid of."

"I don't think you're like me Seeley. Even as a kid, you were always so much like your mother. Jared was much more like me." Booth shook his head in attempt to get his thoughts straight.

"Ya. I lost my temper. I think I needed to. Everyone kept telling me not to come talk to you. They tried to talk me out of it. Pops too, he didn't want to come. But I think I know why I insisted that I needed to see you. To talk to you."

"Why's that?"

"I think I needed to confront you. I needed to confront my past so that I can finally move on with my life and be okay with what happened."

"I guess my showing up was good for something then." Joe said. Booth laughed humorlessly.

"Right, thanks." He said sarcastically. There was a moment of silence. Booth decided that it was time to leave but as he approached the door he realized he had something else he needed to say.

"You know I forgave you, when I was a kid. After every time you hit me. I forgave you. First off because I blamed myself for it happening anyway. But also because it was what I knew. I was an altar boy. The priests always said forgive and forget. The forgiving part was easy. Forgetting is much harder."

"Is that your way of telling me you forgive me now? After having yelled at me." Joe asked. Booth flipped his poker chip into the air and caught it.

"I don't know, maybe."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So sorry I took so long with this update. I was so worried about the confrontation between Booth and his father that I didn't think about what would happen after. So after a couple re-writes here is the next chapter. Thanks for reading and for all the reviews, story alerts and favorites. Enjoy!**

Brennan sat on Booth's couch, Thai food set up on his coffee table. She had tried to call him all day to see how the confrontation with his father had gone but he had not wanted to talk about it. She had thought about going over to his office but decided against it. Instead she had left work early, picked up some Thai food from their favorite place and went to his apartment. He had let her keep the spare key she had used to get into his apartment to yell at him for not being dead.

Booth opened the door to his apartment and was immediately hit with the smell of Thai food and Bones. He had been avoiding her calls all day, his head and his heart were a mess and he did not want to deal with anyone until he sorted himself out. But he had hoped deep down that she would show up at his place and was very grateful that she had.

Brennan stood up when she heard him enter the apartment. A slight uneasiness settled in her stomach.

"Hey." She said when he came into view.

"Hey." Booth responded. He took off his jacket and started to take off his tie as he made his way towards the couch. He motioned for Brennan to sit down.

"Thanks, Bones."

"I know the correct phrase is 'it's nothing you wouldn't have done for me', and seeing how you have actually done this for me on a number of occasions, a lot of which included my father, I thought I would return the favor." Booth smiled at her, he might give her a hard time occasionally because of her explanation of normal everyday things that don't need to be explained, but he loved it.

{}

"So what happened with your father?" Brennan asked. She had kept her curiosity quiet while they ate but she was metaphorically dying to know. Booth exhaled loudly.

"I yelled at him." Brennan sat patiently waiting for him to continue. Booth hated to talk about his life, especially his father. It was very difficult for him and often took a long time before he could tell the full story. She had learned to be patient.

"I was so…I don't know if I was more nervous or scared to see him again. I think I was expecting to see my father. But the man who opened the door and who was calm and reasonable…that's not my father. That's just some guy. He could be any random person I met on the street." Booth shook his head. Brennan placed a hand on his forearm. She had to marvel at how effective this simply act of touching someone could bring comfort and strength.

"He told me that he's gone through the program and is better now. He said he wanted to apologize to me and Jared. He wanted me to forgive him. He wanted me to just forget what happened."

"Booth it is impossible to forget what happened to you as a child unless of course you develop Alzheimer's or amnesia." Booth chuckled.

"Did you forgive him?"

"No. Yes. I don't know. When I first walked out of there I thought I had but the more I thought about the whole thing after…I don't know if I can forgive him Bones. If it had been just me who had suffered maybe, but he hurt so many people that I loved. He hurt my family. How can I forgive him for that?"

"You encouraged me to forgive my father for what he did."

"Ya. But it's not the same Bones."

"Both our father's did horrible things Booth."

"Ya. But at least for fifteen years you knew that your father loved you. And when he came back into your life you realized that even though he did leave you, he still loved you. And he regrets leaving. My dad…he doesn't regret leaving me and Jared. I'm surprised he even remembered Jared's name. He was always just the other one." Brennan didn't know what to say. She could tell that Booth was becoming increasingly frustrated.

"He didn't apologize for what he did either. He just wanted me to forgive him." Booth sighed and leaned against the back of the couch.

"I'm not sure what advice to give you Booth. Normally I would go to you or Angela."

"You don't give yourself enough credit Bones. You usually can come up with the right thing to say, or do." He gestured to the now empty beer bottles and Thai take-out cartons. "Well, with me anyway." Brennan smiled at him.

{}

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Jared asked as he sat down across from his brother at the diner. Booth sifted uncomfortably for a moment.

"You know how I told you that I saw dad?" Jared nodded.

"Well I went to go talk to him." Booth said. Jared almost fell out of his seat in surprise.

"You did what?" He asked incredulously.

"What did he say?" Jared asked finally.

"That he wanted to apologize to us."

"Ha. I bet he doesn't even remember my name." Jared snorted.

"He did. I didn't think he would either. And he somehow found out about Parker." Booth shuddered.

"Oh. So I'm gonna assume that it didn't go well." Booth shrugged.

"I don't know if it could be classified as going well or not. It just sorta was." Jared let out a laugh.

"Wow, you're starting to sound like Tempe." He commented, Booth laughed.

"He wants us to forgive him."

"Phst. Right, like that's gonna happen." He paused. "God, please don't tell me you forgave him Seeley."

"No. I didn't. I thought I might but I didn't. I can't. I can't." He repeated softly. Jared stared at his older brother. He had not often seen his brother look so vulnerable.

"You like to be the good guy and forgive people Seel. But don't forgive him, you shouldn't and you can't."

"Since when did you get so wise Jar head?" Booth asked affectionately. Jared laughed again.

"My wife. Speaking of which. We just found out."

"What?"

"Padme's pregnant!" Jared was beaming. Booth wasn't used to seeing his brother expressing such overwhelming happiness.

"Congratulations man." Booth said sincerely smiling at his younger brother. "Wow, I guess you're all grown up now." Jared laughed once again.

{}

"How did the meeting with Jared go?" Brennan asked as soon as Booth walked into her office.

"Hi to you to Bones." Booth said with amusement.

"What?"

"Never-mind Bones, it went fine."

"Although you and Jared do not usually see eye to eye, you have been getting along much better since he got engaged to Padme. What was his opinion?" Brennan asked. Booth grinned at her.

"You used that saying correctly." He said proudly.

"Well I have an excellent teacher." Brennan said with a smile. Booth's grin got wider.

"So what did Jared say?" Brennan asked again.

"He was surprised that I had actually went to see our dad and then told me that I shouldn't forgive him. He seemed really angry at our dad actually, he said he wouldn't forgive him."

"Perhaps it is the same reason why you feel that you cannot forgive your father. He hurt someone that Jared loved. You."

"That is oddly psychological of you Bones." Booth commented. Brennan didn't respond. Booth placed a hand lightly on her back to let her know he was teasing.

"Oh, and guess what else he told me." Booth moved to stand in front of Brennan again.

"It would be impossible to guess what he told you Booth, it could be a number of things." Booth ignored the comment, after almost seven years of knowing her, six of being her best friend, he was used to these types of comments.

"He told me that Padme is pregnant!"

"Oh…That's great."

"Is something wrong Bones?" Booth as concerned, her reaction had been less than excited.

"What? No. I was just surprised."

"Bones?" Booth prompted.

"What Booth?" Brennan asked trying to sound irritated.

"You know we never talked about it." Booth said, his tone softening. Brennan tried not to look up at him, but she wasn't as immune to him as she pretended to be.

"Talked about what?" She tried.

"Come on Bones. You know what I'm talking about. After I woke up from my brain surgery, we never talked about you wanting a baby."

"Booth…" Brennan sighed. He had a determined, kind look on his face and she knew that he wasn't going to let it go unless she said something.

"I changed my mind. I didn't want to have a child anymore."

"Was it because I said I needed to be the father if I was going to donate my sperm."

"No. No, that wasn't it."

"Really? Cause that's what you said before you took me to the hospital." Brennan remained quiet.

"It doesn't matter anymore Booth, I changed my mind."

"Really?" He questioned.

"Yes." She didn't sound convincing, even to herself.

"Do you still want a baby?" Booth asked seriously.

"Yes." The word left her mouth before she could stop it.

"Do you still want me to be the father?" He asked. He hoped that she hadn't heard how his breathe had hitched when he heart began to beat twice as fast as he waited for her to respond. Brennan opened her mouth to respond honestly when Angela walked into the room completely unaware of the conversation she was interrupting.

"Great you're both here." She said with her usual smile on her face. "Are you guys busy on Friday?"


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Okay, first I would like to say thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing, it is very encouraging. Second, the Booth's father plot-line is not finished yet, but this chapter is what I felt should happen at the moment, although it didn't turn out how I originally planned, it is much longer. I hope everyone is in character. Enjoy!**

"Sweetie are you okay?" Angela asked. She had noticed that Brennan had been acting oddly during the last few days.

"Yes, of course." Brennan said distractedly. She had been slightly distracted all week. After Angela had interrupted her baby conversation with Booth in order to invite them to a party at Hodgins' mansion, she had been able to avoid finishing their conversation. She had been avoiding him since then. Brennan could tell that he really wanted an answer and she knew that he was getting frustrated by her avoidance.

"You sure, cause you've been acting kinda strange since I invited you and Booth to our party. Oh my god Sweetie, did I interrupt something?" Angela looked stricken. She knew how if an important conversation between the partners was interrupted Brennan tended to avoid Booth like the plague.

"What? No." Brennan said too quickly, avoiding eye contact with Angela and turning towards her computer.

"Brennan. What happened?" Angela asked seriously. "You've been acting kinda strange all week sweetie and you and Booth are both coming to Hodgins' and my party tonight so spill." Brennan sighed.

"Booth told me that Jared and Padme are having a baby."

"That's great!" Angela said enthusiastically.

"Yes. But apparently my reaction was not enthusiastic enough and Booth was concerned that something was wrong…And then he asked me if I still wanted a baby."

"Oh my god! What did you say?"

"Yes" Angela couldn't help the smile that broke out onto her face.

"And then he asked me if I still wanted him to be the father and you walked in before I could answer."

"No! I'm sorry Sweetie. If I had known I never would have walked in when I did."

"I know that Angela."

"So?" She asked impatiently.

"What?" Brennan asked confused.

"You still want Booth to be the baby daddy right?"

"Of course I do."

"So why can't you just tell him?" Angela asked.

"What if he doesn't want to be the father?" Brennan asked in response.

"Sweetie, the man is in love with you. You really think he doesn't want to be the father? Plus you guys would have the cutest kid." Brennan smiled in spite of herself.

"Well we both have nice symmetry." She said, Angela laughed.

{}

"You've been avoiding me." Booth said, catching Brennan off guard. They were at the Hodgins mansion, dressed up for the pseudo wedding reception that Angela and Jack were finally having. Booth had held back as long as he could before approaching her, which was about five minutes.

"What? No I haven't. I've just been very busy." Brennan immediately denied.

"Uh huh." Booth clearly did not believe her.

"Look Bones. If you don't want to talk about the whole baby thing, just say so. Don't shut me out. Please." Booth said sincerely. Brennan couldn't help but look him in the eye. His eyes were always so expressive and she could see that he was scared that he had pushed her too much. She lowered her head. He was always apologizing. He would apologize and dismiss things just so that she wouldn't have to deal with it. He did it to protect her.

"I don't know why I've been avoiding you Booth. I have an answer. I had an answer for you before Angela interrupted us." Brennan admitted. She began to walk, wanting to find a more secluded place where they could talk without being overheard. Booth followed, his hand going to her lower back to guide her into an empty room.

"If you had an answer, why didn't you tell me?" Booth asked after closing the door.

"It was illogical of me not to resume our conversation after Angela left since I did want to answer you." Brennan said. Booth gave her a look that clearly asked for her to continue.

"I do still want a baby. But not for the same reasons than before. And I do still want you to be the father." There was a moment of silence while in which Brennan found herself holding her breath in anticipation of his response.

"To tell you the truth Bones, I'm not sure how to respond." Booth said honestly. He was torn between being ecstatic that she wanted to have a child with him and dread that she would only want him to be a sperm donor and not be a part of their child's life.

"Oh." Brennan bit her lip.

"Bones, please let me explain." He could tell that she was trying to wall herself off again and he refused to let that happen, not after she had grown and opened up so much.

"I want to have a baby with you. But…but I can't if we're not together -" Booth was interrupted by Sweets walking determinedly into the room.

"There you guys are. How come you haven't been answering your phones? I just got a call asking if you were in a session with me because they need you on a case." Once he stopped talking he really looked at his favorite patients, they were both looking at him with a mixture of fear and relief; the tension was palpable.

"Did something happen between the two of you?" He asked, they had yet to respond to their case calls.

"What? No, of course not Sweets, we were just talking. C'mon Bones we gotta case." Booth said quickly as he all but dragged Brennan from the room in order to avoid having to tell Sweets about their conversation.

{}

Saturday had been an odd day. The partners had worked the case as much as they could, but had avoided talking about anything personal. Booth knew that he had to fully explain himself to Brennan. He was sure that his reasoning did not make sense to her. In a world where marriage was becoming more obsolete and the number of single parents was increasing, he was sure that she did not understand why he needed them to be together if they were going to have a child. It may be selfish on his part, especially considering that he definitely did not want her to have a baby with anyone else, but he loved her and he loved the thought of having a child with her so much that it would ruin him if they weren't in it together.

After coming back from Afghanistan, everything had had the seemed normal, but he had been a giant mess. The nightmares, the guilt. But it had been almost eight months that he had been home and Brennan (and he had to give credit to Sweets also) had helped him get better. They had also helped him with his issues about his father. And the rest of the team, and surprisingly Jared, had been so supportive of him.

It had been almost two weeks since they had shared a kiss. So much had happened between then and now. He was worried about Brennan. He was worried that she wanted the same thing but was going to run away at the first sign of trouble. He was worried that he would put his heart on the line again and lose her once again because she didn't want to be with him. He was worried that the kiss had meant something different to her than it had to him. He had a million different scenarios running through his head. And although he had basically fully recovered from what had happened in Afghanistan, he wasn't sure if he was fully recovered from her last rejection. Unsurprisingly, it was the one subject that never came up in the therapy sessions.

"Earth to Dad." Parker waved his hand in front of his father's face. Booth shook his head.

"Sorry Bud."

"It's okay. I just wanted to know if we could go swim in Bones' pool tomorrow?" Parker asked as he shoved another forkful of pasta into his mouth.

"Chew Parker." Booth admonished affectionately, his son had definitely inherited his appetite. "I'll ask her and see if it's okay."

"She said we don't have to ask her each time remember. She said that she gave us the key and therefore it's illogical to ask her every time we want to use the pool." Parker repeated. Booth smiled at his son.

"You're right, she did say that, but it's still polite to ask." Booth said.

"Okay. Can you call her now?" Parker asked finishing the rest of his pasta. Booth hesitated. He had almost been able to cut the tension between them with a knife when he had left the lab in order to pick up Parker.

"I'll call her a little later, she's probably busy right now."

"Is there something going on with you and Bones?" Parker asked seriously. Booth blinked at his son in surprise.

"What? Why would you think that?" Booth asked, his voice almost trembling. Parker shrugged.

"Well when Bones gave us the key to her apartment's pool she said that she couldn't be your girlfriend because you worked together. But then you guys both went away for a year and when you came back you weren't working together so I thought that she would be your girlfriend then. But now you are working together again and so she probably can't be your girlfriend again." Booth wished that he hadn't eaten; he was beginning to feel sick.

"Parker...Bones is really complicated. Us working together is not what's stopping her from being my girlfriend."

"Well why don't you just ask her to be your girlfriend." Parker stated as if it was the most obvious solution in the world and Booth should have come up with it himself. Booth wished that it was that easy. But he had tried that and had gotten his heart broken.

"Because women are complicated Bub. But that is a conversation we're saving until -"

"I get hair under my arms." Parker droned. He really wanted to get hair under his arms so that he could have more grown-up talks with his dad. He didn't know why having hair under his arms was so important for that.

"You know Dad, I'm almost eleven." Parker said. Booth smiled sadly.

"I know."

{}

Brennan thought that she would feel extremely relieved when Booth left to pick up Parker. Instead it had only intensified her thoughts about having a baby. She did not need to have a baby at that precise moment, but she would like to have a baby. And Booth was such an excellent father, not only because of his symmetry, but because of his compassion and simply the love he had for his son. She knew that any child would be extremely lucky to have a father like him.

The first time she had endeavored to have a baby, Angela had tried to tell her that Booth himself, not just his 'stuff' would be the perfect father for her child. She had brushed it off. She had still been afraid of emotional attachments and had wanted the baby all to herself. She had wanted a piece of Booth that she could be sure would never leave her. Plus she had felt that having a progeny would be beneficial for society seeing as there would be an extremely high chance that her child would inherit her IQ.

Her reasons now were different. Yes she still wanted a piece of Booth, but more than that, she wanted a family. And she wanted it only with Booth. She wanted to be a mother and she wanted Booth to be the father. She wanted to have a family and to love. To her this had always just been a fairytale, something she had scoffed at many times and said was impossible, but it didn't stop her from wanting it now.

{}

Once Parker had gone to bed (Booth had let him stay up an extra half hour because after all he was almost eleven) Booth went into the kitchen to wash the dishes. He couldn't believe that his son was getting so big. It felt like a stab to the heart knowing that he had missed out on so much of Parker's life, not only during his year away, but also because of the crazy hours he worked with his job and only being able to see him when Rebecca allowed it. Booth wanted to be a good father for his son, something that he himself had never had, but it was hard because he and Rebecca were not together. If Bones really wanted to have a baby with him, he had to make sure that they were together, he could not go through another situation like the one he had with Rebecca.

The knock on his door broke through his thoughts. He knew it was her.

"Hey, Bones." He greeted holding the door open for her.

"Hi." Brennan walked in and made herself comfortable on his couch. They both enjoyed the fact that they were so comfortable in each others homes.

"You wanna beer?" Booth asked.

"No thank you."

"Okay." Booth stood for an awkward moment before settling down on the couch. There was more distance between them than usual. Brennan noticed but did not comment.

"Listen Bones, I really need to explain myself with this whole baby thing." Booth said.

"Yes, I think I do as well." Brennan replied. She wasn't entirely sure she was ready for this conversation, but she knew it needed to happen. She had Cam's voice in her head repeatedly telling her that she didn't think Booth could handle another rejection.

"Okay, um, do you want to go first?" He offered. He figured that it would be easier to say what he needed to say after he knew her side.

"Sure…I am not sure where to start."

"Never thought I would see you at a loss for words Bones." Booth chuckled. And just like that the tension that had been plaguing them for days vanished.

"I want to have a baby…with you. And I want you to be the child's father, not just a sperm donor." Brennan said. Booth couldn't help the smile that graced his face. It wasn't ideal, but it was a step up from the last time they had had this conversation.

"Okay. Well that's good cause I want to be the father."

"I know. You are an excellent father and I want our child to have the best father." Booth felt his heart expand when she used 'our' instead of 'my'. Hope was building inside of him and he couldn't stop it.

"Thanks Bones." He said.

"So, do you want to have a baby with me then?" She asked bluntly. Booth almost had to laugh.

"Ya I do. But um…"

"What?" Brennan asked nervously.

"Bones, I want to be the father. But I can't be a sperm donor." He said. Her brow crinkled in confusion.

"That doesn't make sense Booth. I would need to have your sperm in order to have your baby." She said.

"Right ya. I didn't say that right. What I meant was that I don't want to make a baby in a lab."

"Oh. You mean you want us to devour each other in a passionate frenzy in order for me to conceive naturally." She said, quoting how Angela had told her it was 'supposed to work'. Booth was beyond stunned at her comment and it must have shown clearly on his face because Brennan let out a laugh.

"That is how Angela described it." She informed him.

"Oh…ya….right…Angela." Booth stumbled over his words. He blinked a few times to get his thoughts in order.

"Right. Well ya, that was what I was saying."

"There is no need for you to be embarrassed Booth, it is completely natural."

"Right, ya. Okay I gotta stop saying that." He inhaled, then exhaled. "Here's the thing Bones…if we are going to have a kid together…the only way that I can say yes to having a kid a with you is if we're together." Booth said then braced himself for her anthropological rebuttal.

"Yes I understood that Booth. And that is what I would like as well." Brennan replied. Again Booth was shocked.

"So, you want us to be together." He said slowly and carefully. A part of him felt as though he was dreaming.

"Yes. It was one of the conclusions I came to while I was in Indonesia." Brennan responded calmly. She could tell that he was nervous and was doing her best to hide her own nerves.

"Indonesia? So how come you're only telling me now?" Booth asked.

"Well when we returned I was going to tell you, but Cam advised me not to tell you right away because you were trying to cope with what had happened in Afghanistan. And I agreed with her that that was a logical decision." Brennan looked away from him before continuing.

"She also told me that she wanted me to be absolutely sure that being in a relationship with you was want I wanted because she didn't want me to break your heart again."

There it was, out in the open. Booth wasn't sure how to respond, except he knew he needed to eventually call Cam and thank her for being such a good friend. Brennan sat on his couch waiting for his response.

"You did crush my heart Bones." He said quietly.

"I know." Her tone similar to that night, it made Booth's heart hurt.

"We kind skipped a few steps here Bones." He said suddenly, almost with a laugh. She looked up at him.

"We've been talking about babies, but we haven't even come to a conclusion about us." Brennan nodded and waited for him to continue.

"I love you Bones." There was a pause as they both acknowledged the first time he had said that full sentence to her. "You know that. You know that I want to spend the next 30 or 40 or 50 years with you. I told you all that." Brennan was sitting very still. "You said no." She bit her lip. Her brain began to mock her heart for believing that she still had a chance.

"I still want to be with you, to love you…but I'm scared that you're going to break my heart again." He didn't know how, but he managed to say it. Brennan gasped. Booth thought it was because he had hurt her with his words but she had gasped at the fact that she had turned Booth into someone like herself, afraid to let love in again. She hated herself for making him afraid of her, afraid of love. The irony that their roles were now reversed was not lost on her.

"I understand." She said clinically, before realizing that he did not need to hear from Dr. Brennan at the moment but from Temperance, no from Bones.

"I…I want to give us a shot." She repeated his words from that night. "But I understand your hesitation. I hurt you and you need to learn to trust me again."

"Ya." His response was barely audible.

"I am a scientist Booth. I need evidence and facts. Therefore I am going to give you the evidence you need in order to trust me." Booth looked at her, his brow furrowed. He looked at her for a moment before letting out a chuckle.

"I don't know what that means." He said. Brennan chuckled at the familiar line.

"It means that if you are willing, I would like to enter into a social contract with you and prove that you can trust me." Booth was silent for a moment, his brain telling him not to go for it while his heart was telling him to just kiss her already.

"Okay."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: So so sorry for taking so long to update, had a really busy week. I leave on Sunday for a week and therefore won't be able to update, I will try to get another chapter up before I go *fingers crossed* Hope you are all still enjoying the story. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

Booth casually walked into the lab, veering off towards Cam's office instead of Brennan's.

"Hey, Big Man." Cam greeted when she saw him. She took off her gloves and apron and approached him.

"Hey, Cam."

"How are you?" She asked sincerely. Booth smiled.

"I just wanted to stop by and say thank you." He said. Cam tilted her head in confusion.

"Thank me for?"

"What you said to Bones. She told me. Just, thanks for having my back." He said. He gave her a friendly hug.

"You're welcome Seeley." Cam replied softly.

"I gotta go, Bones and I have a crime scene to get to."

"Wait!" Booth stopped, one foot already out the door. He looked at Cam expectantly.

"So how are thinks between you and Dr. Brennan now?" She asked. Booth smiled widely.

"Things are good Cam. Things are very good." He said. Cam nodded, smile on her face.

{}

"Bones, you ready to go?" Booth asked as he finished the last of his paperwork, stood up and stretched.

"Yes I am." She replied shutting down her computer and taking off her lab coat. Booth smiled at her.

"Where are we going?" Brennan asked as they made their way out of the lab. They had decided the night before that they would go on a proper date. Brennan had thought it was an irrational thing to do at first since they had shared countless meals together but Booth had convinced her. Mostly she had agreed because Booth was a romantic and she wanted to let him be his normal alpha male self, plus she decided that it might be nice to have a romantic evening.

Both were giddy as they got into the SUV.

{}

Rebecca was keeping one eye on Parker and one eye on the old man sitting on the other side of the park who seemed to be eyeing Parker. She was not paranoid by nature, but she wasn't naïve either. She knew that pedophiles and kidnappers came in all shapes and sizes.

Rebecca did not like this man looking at her son. The man did not look dangerous, he looked merely curious; Seeley had told her that curiously is sometimes one of the reasons pedophiles kidnap children. Seeley was the overprotective parent of the two of them; she tended to try not to be too protective of her son simply because too much protection can sometimes be as bad as none.

Five minutes later, Parker had met up with a couple of his friends and wanted to go play football with them. Rebecca agreed, hoping to get away from the curious watchful man. There was a hint of familiarity in the man that had her more on edge about him than she usually was with strangers.

When he followed Parker and his friends to the open field where they were playing football, she decided to call Seeley. He picked up on the second ring, sounding more jovial than he had in a while.

"Seeley, its Rebecca." He immediately knew something was wrong from her unsure tone.

"Rebecca what's wrong? Is Parker okay?" A million horrible scenarios started running through his head. Brennan motioned for him to pull over so that he would be able to concentrate on the phone call instead of driving.

"Yeah, he's fine. I'm just calling because I'm concerned about this weirdo whose been watching him the whole time we've been at the park." Rebecca quickly explained.

"What? What does this guy look like?" Booth was angry. He had a gut feeling about who the man may be but he really hoped he was wrong.

"Um, he's older, over 60 definitely. No glasses, still had most of his hair, but it's white. Overweight." Rebecca spared the man a quick glance, hoping that he wouldn't catch on and run away. If he was a pedophile or kidnapper she wanted him to be caught, not just for Parker's sake but for all the children's sakes.

"That sounds like a standard old guy Rebecca." Booth replied angrily. He didn't mean to be short with her but he needed something distinctive.

"Does he seem to be watching all the kids or just Parker?" Booth asked after taking a calming breath and going into cop mode.

"Yes. He's been following us every time we move to a different part of the park." Booth hit his steering wheel in frustration. Brennan sat helplessly in the passenger's seat wishing that there was something she could do.

"Okay. I'll be there in two minutes. Just stay calm and don't make a scene or anything okay." He snapped his phone shut and nearly threw it against the windshield.

"What's going on?" Brennan asked. Booth was already back on the road.

"I'm really sorry Bones. But there's been a change in plans. Some creep's been eyeing Parker and he's definitely going to hear what I have to say about it." Brennan nodded. She could feel the tension rolling off him.

"Booth, do you think that maybe it's your father who is watching Parker?" Brennan asked.

"I know it is Bones." He replied shortly. Brennan didn't ask him how he knew.

{}

Booth jumped out of the car the second they reached the park and began searching for Parker, Rebecca and his father. Brennan quickly made sure that the car was in park and extracted the keys before going after him. It was a little difficult to do in a dress and high heels. She didn't have to go far to find him however. He was making a beeline towards the old man, his father, ignoring the nervous Rebecca and the other parents who had begun to watch with interest.

Parker saw his father and tried to make his towards him. Both Brennan (who had stopped next to Rebecca) and Rebecca stopped him.

"Who's that man Bones?" Parker asked concerned and confused about why his father had not come to say hello.

"He's…not a nice man Parker." Brennan replied. She knew that Parker knew nothing of his grandfather and that Booth wanted to make sure it stayed that way.

"Dad looks pissed." Parker observed as he watched his father.

"Parker don't use that language." Rebecca reprimanded, she was debating on whether or not she should take Parker home immediately. A really large part of her was leaning towards leaving, but she knew that it would be unfair of her to not allow Seeley to see Parker after he had taken care of the potential threat. The added bonus in her mind was that Seeley wouldn't do anything too drastic to the man if his son was standing nearby.

Booth ignored everyone; he didn't see or hear them. All he saw was his father.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked harshly when he was close enough to be heard.

"Nothing really. Just watching. I told you I wanted to see my grandson." Joe tried to remain calm. He could easily see that his son was not happy.

"I'm pretty sure I told you to stay the hell away from my son!" Joe was silent.

"I just want to be a part of your life, that's all. I would never hurt him." Joe finally said.

"Right the way you never hurt me or Jared." Booth stated. Joe refused to back down.

"That was then. I'm different now." He pleaded.

"I don't care. I told you not to go near my son and you didn't listen. Unlike you, I actually care about my family and you are not going to be anywhere near them." Booth said it was not an idle remark; the seriousness in his voice would be enough to make serial killers stay away.

"I take it then that you haven't really forgiven me for my past sins." Joe said defeated.

"No." Booth replied bluntly. "And you know what, you don't deserve it."

"I'm your father. I'm family."

"You may be my biological father, but you are anything BUT family." Booth explained seriously.

"I don't even know why you want to be a part of our lives now, after what you did and after so many years. You're just making a really lousy effort because you need to tell your sponsor that you tried. You never cared about us, so why would it start now? You haven't done a single thing in my or Jared's life to give us any indication that you actually gave a rat's ass."

"Maybe you're right." Joe said. He didn't really know how to respond anymore. His son was smart and had made some very good points.

"I am right." Booth said. "I want you out of DC."

"I hadn't figured that out for myself yet." Joe responded sarcastically. Booth's face darkened.

"I want you out of DC. I don't ever want to see you again." Booth turned around and walked away before his father could respond. He walked over to his and enveloped him in a strong loving hug.

"Dad who's that man?" Parker asked his father when he finally let him go.

"No one important Parker." Booth replied. He knew that he needed to explain to Rebecca. She had expected him to arrest an old pedophile and instead the creepy man who had been watching her son was walking away free in the other direction.

"Hey, Bud, why don't you go get some ice-cream over there with Bones?" He suggested, silently asking Brennan to understand. She did.

"I really want to know who that man is." He heard Parker say they walked away.

"Seeley, what the hell is going on?" Rebecca asked.

"That man…" Booth let out a long dramatic sigh. "He isn't a pedophile."

"And you know this how?"

"He's my father." Booth said quickly. Rebecca was floored.

"Your father?" She repeated. Her stomach clenched, she knew now why he had seemed slightly familiar.

"Yes." Booth could see Rebecca struggling to choose which question to ask first.

"He's stopped drinking, in the program. Blah blah. Point is I don't really think he is dangerous now, but there is no freaking way I am letting him anywhere near Parker." Rebecca nodded in agreement.

"Okay." She said. "How did he find you?"

"I have no idea, but he did. He wanted me and Jared to forgive him. I tried, but I can't. Maybe on my deathbed I'll be able to forgive him but not right now." Rebecca nodded again.

"And he is leaving now. For good?" She asked.

"He should. If he comes back, I'm getting a restraining order."

"Right."

"Mom, can I go home with Dad?" Parker asked, approaching his parents with a double scoop of chocolate ice-cream.

{}

Brennan had decided to go home after enjoying a nice dinner with Booth and Parker. Rebecca had agreed to let Parker go home with his father, both Booth and Brennan were very grateful. She had known that Booth needed to be with his son after having to confront his father again.

He had apologized about their date but Brennan had waved it off. He needed to be with his son and one of the things she loved about him was how much he loved his son.

"It's really okay Booth. I understand your need to spend some time alone with Parker."

"Thanks, Bones. I'm just sorry that our night was ruined." Brennan smiled at him.

"It's one night Booth. I am not going to cut out simply because tonight didn't go as planned." Brennan said, this time it was Booth's turn to smile.

"Its drop out Bones. But thanks, I think I needed to hear that."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah." They smiled at each other, their faces completely open for the other to see.

"Bones are you leaving now?" Parker asked, breaking the adult's staring contest. He didn't understand adults sometimes. They could be so weird.

"Yes I am. You have a good night with your father." Brennan replied.

"I will. Goodnight"

"Goodnight Parker. Goodnight Booth."

"Night, Bones." Booth shut the door carefully behind her.

Booth was lying next to Parker on his bed. Parker was reading out loud from the third Harry Potter book. Booth was barely hearing the words; he was just content with having Parker so close. Parker finished the chapter with droopy eyes.

"Time for bed." Booth said quietly. Parker nodded sleepily and rolled onto his side.

"Love you dad."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Yay I managed to finish the chapter. It is a little shorter than some of the others but I like where I ended it. I will be away from tomorrow until next Sunday so there won't be any updates. I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

Booth sat at his table eating his oatmeal (with brown sugar) and thinking about his family. If his recent encounters with his father had taught him anything it was the importance of family. His father was not his family. Parker, Bones, Pops, Jared, Cam, Sweets, Angela and Hodgins were his family.

Parker. His weekend with Parker had rejuvenated him completely. He felt a hundred times better than he had in a long time. A tremendous weight seemed to have been lifted from his shoulders as he played football with his son and had pizza eating contests. Booth had actually been amazed that Parker and beaten him.

"_Well I'm a growing boy Dad." _Parker had told him afterward, the pizza sauce still all over his face. Booth had laughed and wiped away a cheese string on Parker's chin.

Bones. She had been so great helping him recover from Afghanistan, helping him recover from the therapy sessions and the confrontations with his father. She had been amazing. He had always thought she was amazing, at her job, as his partner, in her capacity to love. But being the focus of her immense heart since their return from Indonesia and Afghanistan made him feel incredibly blessed and proved to him that he could trust her with his heart.

He knew that she would still be afraid of their relationship now that it was progressing and changing. She hated change. But as she had taught him, everything changes. And she was now willing to try. Just thinking about it made him happy. He marveled in the amount she had changed since they had met.

Booth remembered the day they met as if it was yesterday. He remembered thinking that Dr. Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist would be this old crusty super stern woman. Instead his jaw had literally dropped and his heart had begun to beat a hundred times faster the moment he laid eyes on her. He knew then. There was no way that his life would be complete without her. Convincing her of that however had been an entirely different story.

Thinking about his son and Bones, Booth couldn't remember the last time he had been so happy. It seemed like forever ago, if he had ever been this happy.

{}

Brennan sat at the diner in her usual spot waiting for Booth. They had yet to go on their official first date, Booth had spent the past few days with Parker and they had gone to visit Pops once again. Despite the change in their relationship not being official, she was content in the progression. She would no longer say that they were 'just partners'. Thinking back on their relationship over the past seven years, all the late night dinners, all the 'guy hugs', she was beginning to doubt that they had ever been just partners.

"Hey, Bones." Booth said, breaking her from her thoughts as he slid into his seat.

"Hey, Booth."

"So, I've been doing some thinking." Booth started. Brennan sat up straighter to show that he had her undivided attention.

"And I realized that I've been kinda stupid."

"You're not stupid Booth."

"Thanks, Bones. Anyway I told you that I needed proof that you weren't going to you know break my heart again. And I've been thinking that you've given me more than enough evidence."

"Really?" Brennan asked, there was a slight vulnerability in her tone that Booth immediately picked up on.

"Yeah Bones. Everything you've done for me since coming back, it's just…I'm really grateful."

"You would do it for me. You have done it for me." Brennan responded. Booth chuckled.

"Now you get modest." He joked. Brennan smiled at him.

"So now what does this mean?" She asked.

"Nothing really, I just wanted you to know. I mean we already decided to give us a shot." Booth said. He signaled for the waitress to bring him a cup of coffee.

"What's wrong Bones?" Booth asked after they had sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes drinking their coffee. Brennan hesitated for a moment.

"I am just unsure of if I am going to be capable of sustaining our relationship. I've never been in a relationship like this before."

"I know you're scared Bones. That's normal at the start of any relationship." He leaned in, creating a more intimate atmosphere between them. "We can do this Bones. You can do this. I'm gonna help you in any way I can okay."

"Okay." She answered.

"Besides, you can learn anything." He said trying to lighten the mood.

"That is true. I have a very high IQ."

"Modest too." They laughed together.

Brennan finished her breakfast and they left the diner. As they were walking towards the Jeffersonian, Booth made a daring move and took her hand in his. She didn't pull her hand away, instead she intertwined their fingers and they walked on holding hands.

{}

It did not escape Angela's notice that her best friend and her hunky partner walked into the lab holding hands. She nudged Hodgins who was absorbed in his bugs.

"What?" He asked looking up, his eyes immediately zeroing in on Booth and Brennan's linked hands. "Oh."

Booth let go of Brennan's hand so that they could ascend onto the platform where they were greeted by a smirking Angela and smiling Hodgins.

"What?" Brennan asked, confused. Booth leaned over and whispered in her ear,

"They saw us holding hands."

"Oh." Brennan said. Booth smiled at her affectionately.

"Just answer one question for us." Hodgins said crossing his arms and looking amused. Booth and Brennan looked at him. "Are you guys officially together now?" Brennan and Booth looked at each other.

"Yes, I believe that is the correct status of our relationship." Brennan replied, she had wanted to sound like her usual clinical self, but the smile on her face gave her away. Angela squealed happily before anyone could say anything else. Booth shook his head, "Ow."

Angela hugged Brennan, whispering "congratulations Sweetie" into her ear before moving on and giving Booth a hug.

"Congrats." Hodgins said. He gave Brennan a hug also but simply gave Booth a fist bump; he was not going to risk trying to give him a hug.

"Thanks." Brennan said. Booth simply smiled.

{}

"So Bones, should we finally go on our official first date tonight?" Booth asked once they had finished being congratulated by their friends and had made their way into Brennan's office.

"I think that would be acceptable yes." Brennan replied.

"I love your squinty answers." Booth said, mostly to himself but Brennan heard him and tried to hide her smile.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked. Brennan looked at him surprised.

"I thought you were going to choose. You are an alpha male and a romantic so I assumed that you would want to plan the evening."

"I think that was a compliment." Booth commented with amusement. "I know you hate surprises and change so I wanted you to have a say for the first date so that it would make the transition easier."

"That is very logical and very considerate of you." She said.

"Thanks. So tonight: no diner, no Founding Father, no take out Thai and no Sid's." He said, listing them off on his fingers. "I was thinking something along the lines of the Satay Sarinah Restaurant."

"The Indonesian restaurant?"

"Yeah."

A couple hours later they were making their way back to Brennan's apartment. Brennan knew that the goodnight kiss was part of the societal ritual of dating that was supposed to determine if the relationship was to go forward or not. She found herself giving the goodnight kiss a relatively large amount of thought; especially considering that she and Booth had already kissed.

Booth, having a lot of experience with the first goodnight kiss, was not nervous about sharing a goodnight kiss with his Bones. It was not that he had overly substantial experience or that he was being arrogant in his kissing abilities. It was simply because he knew in his heart that this relationship was going to last and therefore didn't see the big deal in the goodnight kiss. What he was more worried about was that he would not be able to stop kissing her and things would get out of control and go too fast.

They suddenly found themselves in front of her door.

"Societal dating rules indicate that you should kiss me at the door." Brennan explained. Booth chuckled.

"God I love you." He said. He refused to worry about how she would take the comment. She knew that he loved her; he had already said it in case his past actions hadn't confirmed it.

"Bones there was no way I was going to leave without a kiss." He said suavely; charm smile in place. Brennan shook her head in amusement. She opened her mouth to retort when he pulled her closer and kissed her.

The kiss was passionate, their tongues immediately entering a fight for dominance as they both tried not to lose control.

"Wow." He breathed as they pulled apart. His head was spinning. Hers too.

"I concur."

{}

Three days later found them sitting in their usual spot at the diner, eating breakfast.

"Booth, that makes no sense."

"Yes it does Bones."

"No it doesn't. Think about it logically."

"Bones this isn't a logics issue. If it was about logic then you would be right. But it's not."

"How could it not be a logical issue? Logic can be applied to any situation."

"But not everyone is logical Bones. We've been through this." Booth sighed exasperated. Brennan put down her fork.

"Why is it that people refuse to think rationally? Why do people let their emotions overcome them and rule their actions?" Brennan asked. Although they had had numerous debates about people not thinking rationally, she had never found an answer as to why.

"People think rationally when they want to think rationally Bones. Sometimes they act from the heart. Most of the time they act from the heart. It's not a crime."

"So you've said before. But sometimes it is a crime. A crime of passion. We see it all the time."

"You're right. Sometimes following your heart gets you in trouble and makes you do stupid things. But sometimes it gives you something great." In spite of their serious conversation he had to smile at her as he said that.

"Us you mean?" Brennan asked seriously.

"Yes." Brennan smiled sweetly at him.

"I still think that you should always go with your brain first." She said, hoping to put an end to their argument.

"Bones, if I've learned anything from our partnership is that things work best when we use the brain and heart together."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Thanks for all the story reviews and favorites! It was really nice to come back to a full inbox so thank you everyone. I apologize for the slight delay, I had planned on getting this up Sunday night but it didn't work out. Also just want to say that I know very little about Psychology, Anthropology and even less about the American military system and how soldiers behave. (I really don't mean to be offensive to anyone). Anyway here is the new chapter, enjoy!**

Tomorrow marked a year since Private Edwards had died. A couple months before Booth had gone to Arlington Cemetery to visit Teddy's grave. He had talked to Claire, shared a funny story with her about sending Teddy to get coffee one time. Tomorrow he was going to pay his respects to Private Edwards. He was hoping to see the boy's mother and father there. Edwards had always talked about how he had wanted to make them proud.

When he was eighteen and had joined the army he would have been very proud to die for his country. He was still proud to serve his country, but he had more important things to die for than his country now. Parker, Bones. He thought of how Private Edwards had never experienced being so hopelessly in love with someone and sharing a life with them; of how Edwards had never known what it was like to hold his newborn in his hands. Booth shook his head. It was such a waste of life. War was such a waste of life.

Brennan had noticed that Booth had been acting oddly during the last few days. She was unsure of the cause. Her own insecurities were making her think that it was something she had done. She wanted to ask him what she had done to make him distance himself from her; but she was terrified that he would tell her that their relationship was not working and that he was going to leave. They always did in the end. No one stayed. She cursed herself for following her heart instead of her brain and agreeing to entering a romantic relationship with Booth.

"Bones, what's wrong?" Booth asked. He had been in his own little world for the past couple days and knew that it must be driving her insane. It always drove him insane when she distanced herself and retreated into herself.

"Are you regretting our relationship?" Brennan asked bluntly. Booth sat in shock.

"What? No! What? Why would you think something like that?" He asked panicked, worried that she was regretting their relationship.

"You've been distant the last couple days. I must have done something -" Brennan started to explain. Booth raised his hand to stop her.

"You haven't done anything Bones. I've just been doing a lot of thinking about Private Edwards. The anniversary of his death is tomorrow." Booth said quickly, trying to relieve her fears.

"I don't want you thinking for one second that you've done something wrong okay. You've been great."

"Are you going to go to Arlington tomorrow then?" She asked in acknowledgment that she hadn't done anything wrong and showing him that she wanted to help him with whatever was bothering him.

"Yeah I am."

"Would you like me to come with you?" Brennan asked. She had gone with him to Teddy's grave; he had introduced her to Claire: but she knew that Private Edwards was different. It had taken over a decade years and a hallucination of the deceased Teddy to convince Booth that Teddy's death had not been his fault. Despite all the progress Booth had made in therapy since being back from Afghanistan she knew him. No matter how many times someone told him it wasn't his fault that Teddy or Edwards was dead, a small part of him would always believe that he could have done something more to protect them. It was just the type of man he was.

"I think I want to go by myself Bones." Booth replied hesitantly. He did not want her to think that he wasn't appreciative of her support and understanding.

"Okay. Is Thai okay for tonight?" She asked. Booth smiled at her. Some might think that she was offended and dismissing the conversation; however he knew that she was just making a logical segue (he couldn't believe he was thinking the word segue) into the next conversation.

"Thai's always good Bones."

{}

_Booth was walking through the cemetery, having to jump over some tombstones that were now planted on the walkways. So many innocent had died, so many people, young men, women and children had died because of war and they were all buried on this giant plot of land. Booth thought it was weird that the cemetery was so dark despite his watch claiming it was midday. Bats were flying around overhead, one almost hitting him in the head as he maneuvered over a particularly large grave. _

_Suddenly he found himself in front of Private Edwards' and Corporal Parkers' tombstones. It didn't make sense that they were next to each other when they had died many years apart. Teddy was twenty when he died. Edwards eighteen. _

_Booth knelt down, his hand rising on its own to reach out and trace the lettering on the tombstones. Before he could take his hand way the ground began to shake. He thought of the earthquake, of that poor boy who had just found out that he was cancer free dying in Sweets' arms. The boy was there, lying in front of him with his small, almost unnoticeable head wound. _

_Booth felt a hand on his shoulder. He gasped when he turned around. Teddy was there, smiling his usual smile and trying to shake off the last bits of dirt that remained on his blood-soaked uniform. He felt his breathe leave him completely as Edwards came to stand next to him. Booth found it odd that he was contemplating how the young soldier managed to stand when half his leg had been blown off. _

_He felt ill. No one was talking; they were all watching him intently as if expecting him to say something. Did he need to say something? Was there something to say? Booth racked his brains trying to figure it out. Teddy, Edwards and the poor metro boy quickly grew impatient; obviously silence wasn't the right answer either. They turned without saying anything and began to dig a hole. _

_Booth stood up and supervised them. He was good at supervising and giving orders, he was a leader. _

"_Alright Sarge, get it." Teddy said, his smile still illuminating his face; although it did not hold the warmth of the Teddy that Booth had served with. Booth stared at him in confusion. He turned to Edwards who merely nodded towards the giant hole they had made. _

"_Hurry up will you?" The metro boy said as he shivered. He looked the least happy of the three. Booth turned towards the hole and saw the figure of a woman, brown eyes like his, knife wounds on her arms, walking towards him nodding her head as if telling him he was doing the right thing by getting into the hole. Not knowing what else to do, Booth climbed into the hole. It was only a second before he realized that they intended to bury him alive. _

"Booth wake up!" Brennan nearly yelled as he thrashed around. Booth opened his eyes and sat up straight in bed breathing heavily. It had been an odd nightmare. One he had never had before. Very unusual for him; it seemed like something out of a horror movie and definitely was not one of his memories or fears revisited. Booth hadn't been having frequent nightmares for a while. There would be the occasional one triggered by a case or simply his subconscious reliving certain terrible memories, or his worst fears being realized in dreams. No amount of therapy would ever completely cure him of nightmares. He had seen too much, done too much, experienced too much to ever be rid of the thing that haunted them.

Before Brennan could say anything he had wrapped his arms around her. Startled she decided against asking any questions and simply moved her hand in soothing circles across his back.

{}

Booth walked through the rows of tombstones towards Private Edwards' grave. He had made a brief stop at Teddy's – to say hello. Booth thought the early morning mist added to the serenity of the cemetery. The majority of the men who were buried in Arlington had not had a serene death. He was glad that in death they had a calm place to rest.

He approached Private Edward's grave. Kneeling, he did the sign of the cross before rising again and saying a small prayer.

"Hey, Sarge." Came a voice from behind him. He turned around to see a few of the men from his most recent unit. Some of the young men he had trained who had been friends with Edwards. They saluted him and he saluted back before nodding his head at each of them.

They stood in silence, honoring their fallen comrade.

Ten minutes later the soldiers began to leave. They each nodded respectfully towards Booth before leaving. Corporal Jennings approached him.

"Sergeant Major Booth." He addressed Booth.

"I'm Special Agent Booth again." Booth replied. He knew as he said it that he was done with the army. No amount of guilt trips or flattery would get him to enlist again. He was tired of seeing young innocent men die. He was tired of having so many kills on his conscience. Not just his, but now also those of the men he had trained.

"Of course." The Corporal nodded. "I was the medic in your unit."

"I know Corporal. You did a good job."

"Thank you sir. In the real world I'm a male nurse." Booth nodded.

"I just wanted to tell you that what happened to Private Edwards, it wasn't your fault." It was a moment before Booth responded.

"Thank you Corporal." The Corporal saluted him again before leaving.

Booth waited at the grave for the Private's parents to arrive. He had still been in Afghanistan when the body was shipped back to the states and therefore had missed the funeral services. No one showed up.

{}

Brennan stood by a tree a few yards behind Booth watching him as he silently honored the dead soldier. She knew he had said he wanted to visit the cemetery alone, but after she had been forced to wake him up during a nightmare she knew she wouldn't be able to not be there.

She had been worried about him and therefore followed him to the cemetery. Logically she knew that nothing was going to happen at the cemetery and that Booth was more than capable of taking care of himself, but when it came to him, logic didn't always apply. It was something she had finally accepted.

Finally she had had enough of the silent waiting. She walked up to him and silently slid her hand into his. Without looking at her, he squeezed her hand as thanks for her presence. It was only another minute or two before Booth turned to leave. He had gotten as much closure as he could get from the cold tombstone that bore the name of the young man who hadn't been given the chance to prove himself or live his life fully.

"_Sarge, it's not your fault."_ He heard the dying Private Edwards say once more.

"Why are you chuckling?" Brennan asked him, he had been unaware that he had done so.

"Nothing." He paused for a moment, "I just heard Edwards tell me that his death wasn't my fault and I think I actually believe him this time."

Brennan looked at him oddly before casting a glance at the soldier's tombstone.

"It wasn't your fault." She replied simply without going into any unappreciated anthropological explanation about war. Booth turned and smiled at her.

"It's a beautiful day to be alive." He told her.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: So so sorry for not updating sooner. I've been super busy and will be super busy for the next two weeks. This chapter isn't the best, but I needed to write it to set up what is going to happen next. Hope you are still enjoying the story! Please review. **

Brennan stood in front of her mirror trying to decide which earrings would go best with her outfit. To outsiders it might seem odd that Brennan spent time doing such a girlish thing; especially since she usually made decisions in milliseconds. Booth walked into her bedroom. He could almost call it their bedroom as he couldn't remember the last time he had slept in his own bed.

"The blue ones." He said coming up behind her. Brennan put the blue earrings on and then turned around.

"Are you nervous Bones?" Booth asked teasingly.

"I will admit that I am experiencing some anxiety about this evening's events." Brennan responded clinically. Booth took her hand.

"Hey, there is nothing to worry about okay? It's just Cam and her boyfriend, whom you've already met, and liked. You don't have to be nervous about anything."

"You're right. I was over-reacting to participating in a social ritual that I have no experience with." Booth laughed.

"It's a double date Bones."

Booth and Brennan arrived at the restaurant first. They sat down and ordered drinks while they waited for Cam and Paul to show up.

"Hi, sorry we're late." Cam said, rushing slightly to the table. Booth waved it off. He stood up and shook Paul's hand.

By now, Paul had already been interrogated and analyzed by Booth and had been deemed suitable for his close friend. Cam had been quite amused during the whole process, she knew that Paul would pass Seeley's test and therefore had let him do it. In the past she had always hesitated, mostly because Booth always ended up right about the bad ones. Paul had taken the interrogation and tests in stride. Cam had explained to him about Booth's protectiveness of people he cared about and Paul was grateful that there was someone there for her in case he couldn't be.

"Hello Cam, Paul." Brennan stood up also. The four of them sat down and conversation flowed easily. Brennan was amazed at how smoothly the evening went. She had been nervous that without the safety net of Angela, Hodgins and Sweets she would end up insulting Paul or not having anything to talk about. Instead, there was never a lull in the conversation.

After dinner, Booth and Paul found themselves waiting for their girlfriends outside.

"It's funny that two women like Cam and Dr. Brennan would go to the bathroom in pairs." Paul said humorously. Booth laughed.

"It had to be a coincidence. Bones would be the first to lecture about how it's a stupid a societal ritual or whatever it is." They both laughed before entering a comfortable silence.

"Cam's birthday is in a couple weeks." Paul said suddenly.

"Yeah." Booth turned to face him.

"I want to ask Cam to marry me." Booth's eyebrows shot up in surprise for a moment before he grinned.

"That's great! Congratulations"

"She hasn't said yes it. I'm planning on doing it on her birthday. Does that seem too cheesy?" Paul looked around to make sure that they were still alone.

"It's cheesy. Just figure out a way to make it really unique too and you're good to go. She'll say yes." Booth replied.

"Just out of curiosity, why'd you tell me?" Booth asked. He was watching through the window to make sure the women weren't coming.

"You're Cam's best friend. And I know she would be insulted if I went to her dad and asked permission to marry her first."

Booth chuckled at the verity of his statement. He started to laugh even harder at the image of what would happen to him if he was to ask Max for permission to marry Bones.

"You're right." He told Paul, who was confused as to why Booth found it so funny.

{}

Brennan rolled over to find an empty bed. Disappointed she got up, put on her robe and went to the kitchen to make coffee. Booth was back at his apartment for the weekend because he had Parker. Although Parker had spent a couple nights over at her apartment, and she had spent a few nights at Booth's apartment while he was there, Parker seemed to prefer being in his own room (which made perfect sense logically).

She had quickly gotten used to waking up with Booth beside her and occasionally panicked when he wasn't there. Brennan had been thinking about the slight dilemma. She had a guestroom that was bigger than Parker's room at Booth's. Plus Booth was barely at his apartment anymore. She did a quick look around her apartment. Booth's stuff was scattered around her apartment. Logically it would make sense for Booth to just move into her apartment and to turn her guestroom into Parker's room. But Brennan was unsure if she was ready for that level of commitment.

A knock on her door broke her from her thoughts. She knew it wasn't Booth, he had a distinctive knock, plus it was too early for him to be picking her up for anything even with Parker. She was not entirely surprised to see her father on the other side of the door. He had taken to visiting her more often.

"Hey dad." She greeted.

"Hey baby." Max said entering her apartment and closing the door behind him.

"Please don't call me baby." Brennan said. She wasn't a baby; she was a fully grown woman, who could never understand why grown men insisted on calling their lovers baby.

"Why? You are my baby."

"I have not been a baby for over thirty years." Brennan replied logically.

"Does Booth call you baby?" He asked; he couldn't help himself. Brennan was not easily caught off guard, but her father's question nearly had her choking on her coffee.

"That is none of your business dad." She replied as dignified as possible. "Why are you here?" She asked changing the subject. She had never been embarrassed about talking about her relationships before; but she had never had a relationship like the one she currently had with Booth.

"Can't I just come over and see my daughter?" Max asked. He shifted slightly, something that six or seven years ago Brennan would not have noticed, but now, thanks to Booth's influence, she did.

"It's barely seven am on a Saturday. You're timing is a little suspicious."

"Booth seems to have taught you well." Max commented, she couldn't tell if it was with humor or if her father was annoyed.

"He is a very good teacher." She said.

{}

Booth was counting down the minutes until he could leave. He hadn't seen Brennan in almost three days and it was driving him crazy. He secretly hoped that she wouldn't go on any digs for a while because he didn't think he would be able to handle being away from her for so long. (And he would fight her if she mentioned that they had already spent a year apart from each other).

Feeling someone's gaze on him, he quickly spun on his heel so that he was facing his door. Max Brennan stood on the threshold, hands in his pockets.

"Heya Max." Booth said casually. He had immediately picked up that Max seemed nervous about something. Which was always cause for concern, Max was not easily intimidated.

"Something up?" Booth asked him. Max entered the office and closed the door behind him.

"Tempy is in danger." Booth went into panic mode.

"What? Why didn't someone call me? Do you know where she is? Who has her?" He had already speed dialed Brennan and opening his drawer to get his gun.

"Brennan." Her voice came through the phone. "Hello?"

"Yeah, Bones are you okay?" Booth asked, he could hear how panicked he was.

"Of course I am Booth. I'm at work. What's wrong?" He could hear her begin to panic also.

"Nothing. Sorry. False alarm. I'll talk to you later." Booth said quickly, giving Max the evil eye.

"Are you coming over tonight?" She asked.

"Yeah. I should be there around seven. I gotta go."

"Okay. Bye Booth."

"Bye." Booth put down his phone.

"Alright Max. You have thirty seconds to tell me why you said Bones was in danger." Booth said dangerously as he lowered himself into his chair. Max stayed standing.

"Because she is in danger. I probably shouldn't have opened like that knowing you but she is." Booth pinched the bridge of his nose. Why did Brennans always want to complicate his life?

"Explain." He demanded.

"Let's just say that I found out from a source that Temperance is in danger. Heather Taffet-"

"Is in jail." Booth finished for him. He had got worked up for nothing. And yet there was a part of him that was hanging onto what Max was saying. One of the things he had in common with Max Brennan was that they were very protective of their family. They would do anything to keep their families safe. Max had said it was the reason he had approved of Booth to be with his daughter. Of course, Booth had laughed when Max had told him this; if Brennan had found out she would have kicked her father's butt for his antiquated thinking. But right now his gut was telling him to listen to Max.

Booth studied Max for a minute. He had already tried to kill the grave-digger, during the trial. Bones had been so upset that her father would return to his old habits. Booth knew he had to keep Max from committing another crime, especially murder. It would tear up his Bones if Max did something stupid. Well if he did something stupid and got caught. A small part of Booth wished that he had let Max kill Taffet when he had the chance. Taffet had caused so much pain to his make-shift family and he believed that world would be a much better place without her in it.

"What do you know?" Booth asked. Max smirked. He knew he could count on Booth's protectiveness.

{}

"So why did you call me sounding distressed earlier?" Brennan asked him almost as soon as he walked through the door. He placed the Thai take out on the table and took of his coat before answering. He decided he wasn't going to tell Brennan everything. He hated not being completely honest with her, but he believed that she was safer not knowing the full conversation he had had with Max earlier in his office.

"Max came to see me. He said you were in danger and then I panicked before I let him explain."

"What? I wasn't in any danger. Why would my father say that?" Brennan was extremely confused. "He came by here on Saturday morning. He seemed nervous." Booth nodded.

"He believes someone is after you."

"Is there?" Brennan asked.

"I'm not sure. But I'm definitely going to look into it." Booth said seriously. His face changed in abruptly. He smiled at her and took her into his arms; gently kissing her.

"I love you." He whispered.

They left the food on the table.

{}

Officer Greg Marcus made his usual rounds of the jail cells in the woman's high security prison. Things had been unusually quiet today, it had been disconcerting for all the officers in the wing. He reached the end, Heather Taffet's cell. She was the only inmate that Marcus was a little intimidated by. He knew what she was in for and it sent shivers down his spine.

Marcus peered into her cell. It was dark and empty.

His body fell to the ground before he knew that there was someone behind him. He could feel the blood rushing from his body. Then everything went black.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, alerts, favorites. I most likely will not be able to update for a little while. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

"You better have a good reason for dragging us out of bed this early." Angela grumbled as they filed into Brennan's office. She immediately felt guilty when she looked at Booth and Brennan who looked like they hadn't even gone to sleep and both were clearly on edge.

"What's going on?" Cam asked seriously. Despite the early hour of the morning they were all focused intently on the duo.

"I got a call this morning." Booth started. He looked at Brennan; he hated what he had to say next. "Heather Taffet escaped last night." Four mouths hit the floor.

"What?" Angela hissed. She quickly grabbed Hodgins' hand. Hodgins' looked petrified. Sweets was opening and closing his mouth searching for some words to express. Cam sat tight lipped, hands folded tightly in her hands.

"You're sure?" She asked. Booth nodded.

He wanted to grab Brennan and let her know that everything was going to be okay, but he knew that she was not in the mood. She was angry. All she wanted to do was find Taffet. All Booth wanted to do was find Taffet.

"She told me it wasn't over when she got convicted." Brennan said.

"What?" Booth nearly yelled. "Why didn't you tell me then?"

"Our relationship was not at its normal level of intimacy at that time Booth. Our relationship was extremely tense and I was already planning on leaving for a while so it would have been useless to tell you." Brennan explained.

"Useless?" Booth looked at her incredulously. "Bones, I could have extra guards put on her, increased security."

"I'm sorry." Brennan said. She could tell Booth was extremely tense. Booth let out a long breath.

"We all need to calm down." He said rolling his shoulders to try and ease the tension.

"What do we know?" Cam asked putting on her authoritative cap. It was easier to deal with these types of situations when they were working towards something. Sitting idle only led to an increase in everyone's nerves. It was very inefficient.

"We need to find Taffet." Brennan said.

"Eliminate her." Booth muttered under his breath, although with the room so quiet, everyone heard him. No one said a word against him though.

"If anyone could get away with murder it would be us." Hodgins' finally spoke, parroting himself. He could feel the blood boiling in his veins. Angela began to panic even more. She knew that Hodgins' hatred for Taffet could consume him if it wasn't taken care of. And the only way to do what would be to see Taffet incarcerated or dead. She preferred dead, despising herself for wanting another human being dead. But did Taffet actually count as a human being after the horrific things she had done?

"No murder. Self-defense." Booth said seriously. He didn't feel like himself. As a sniper he had had to plan the deaths of many men. Almost 50. He couldn't believe he was thinking about doing it in the real world. But he had to protect his family.

"Wait, wait, wait." Sweets finally seemed to find his voice. "Are you seriously considering killing Heather Taffet?" He asked; hating how his voice squeaked. The room was silent.

{}

"How did my father know that Taffet was going to escape?" Brennan asked Booth. They were exhausted and sprawled out on the couches in her living room. They had slept very little since they had heard the news, but being together helped when they woke up in a cold sweat from the nightmares. Brennan was even more grateful that she had Booth in her life.

"I don't know Bones. He wouldn't tell me." Booth said exasperated. He had told Brennan the full conversation that he had had with Max the day before.

"Perhaps now that Taffet has escaped you could ask him?" She said in an icy tone.

"Ouch." Booth sat up.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Brennan asked.

"No. Just you're tone. It wasn't very nice." He couldn't help but tease her a bit even during such a serious time.

"Will you ask him?" Brennan ignored the teasing. She was much too tense. Booth sighed loudly.

"He won't tell me Bones. I am positive he didn't get that information legally and neither of us want me to arrest him again. Plus he wouldn't rat out whoever it was who gave him the information, then I'd have to arrest that person."

"You may have to arrest him again anyway. He will probably feel the compulsion try to go after Taffet himself. Like the last time." Brennan shook her head. "How come he can't be like a normal father?"  
"Then he wouldn't be your father."

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, each lost in their thoughts. The worry plaguing both of them was going to start taking its toll.

"We'll get through this." Booth said.

"You can't know that." Brennan countered as usual.

"We will. All of us." Booth nodded, trying to solidify his argument.

"Please don't promise me that." Brennan asked her voice breaking slightly as she tried to hold back the tears. "I don't want you to have to break that promise." A few tears fell; Booth gently wiped them off her face.

"I won't promise you that everyone will be alright. But I can promise you that I will do everything in my power to keep everyone safe." He was holding her face gently in his hands and looking directly into her eyes.

"I know you will."

{}

Heather Taffet was buying her time. She knew the longer she waited to reveal herself to the Jeffersonian team, the more they worry. The more panicked they were, the greater advantage she had. They were not going to beat her this time. She was in control of the game.

{}

Hodgins was pacing his office in the lab. Angela sat on his chair watching him anxiously. He had barely slept since he had gotten the news about Taffet's escape nearly two days ago. The nightmares had returned in full force, plaguing him both while he was awake and while he was asleep. He refused to let Angela out of his sight. He refused to have anyone do anything alone.

"Jack?" She tried to gain his attention as he neared his desk once again. He merely nodded in acknowledgement that he had heard her.

"Jack. You need to stop pacing. You need to get some sleep." She grabbed onto his arm, her eyes pleading with him.

"I can't sleep Ange. Not with that monster out there." He shuddered as the memory of being buried alive hit him again. Angela held on tightly to his hand. She wished there was something she could do for him.

"I know. But you need to try. You need to take a breath and try to relax. It won't do anyone any good if you're tired. Tomorrow, Cam and Sweets and Booth and Bren will be here and we'll figure out a way to get Taffet." Angela tried to reason with him. When it came to Taffet however, reason didn't always work. Hodgins simply nodded.

"I thought this was all over." He said looking into her eyes, his blue eyes filling involuntarily with tears. His breath caught in his throat as he tried to keep control.

"Soon." Angela said, hoping with all her heart that she was right.

{}

The apartment was silent except for the clock ticking on the far wall that seemed to get louder as each second passed. It was almost time. Max Brennan sat in a chair in his apartment polishing his gun. He knew that his daughter was probably going to hate him for what he was going to do but at least she would be safe. He could deal with the hate as long as she was safe. Frankly, Max was more worried about what Booth would do to him if he was caught. In a twisted way it reassured him. Booth would be there to protect his daughter; he would make sure that Temperance was okay. And if he felt forgiving enough, Max knew Booth would at least try and convince Tempe to forgive him. Max was also sure that Booth would look after Russ as well; make sure that he didn't get into any trouble after hearing about what his father had done. Russ would definitely be disappointed; but this was something he had to do.

He had to protect his family and unfortunately illegal was what he did best.

{}

"You can't let them plan Heather Taffet's death." Sweets said desperately to Cam. She folded her arms.

"Dr. Sweets no one is planning the death of anyone." She said in her best boss tone. Sweets was unconvinced.

"Really? Because it sounded like it a couple days ago and I've been going crazy thinking about how to stop it." He said, he was nearly hysterical. He just simply couldn't believe that the people he admired so much, the people he looked up to and had made him a part of their family would think about such a thing. They're the good guys.

Cam raised an eyebrow at his choice of words. "No one is planning on murdering Taffet. But, if she strikes at us, we will strike back. And Booth never misses."


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: So so sorry I haven't updated. I can't believe how busy I was. I hope you guys are still interseted. Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter :) I hope that you don't hate me by the end of the chapter. I'll try to update again asap. Enjoy!**

Heather Taffet sat in the empty apartment she had found after escaping from the prison. She was almost drunk on the power she knew she would possess in a matter of hours. But she couldn't let it get to her head. They would not beat her, they couldn't beat her. She controlled the game. Taffet made her way over to the window and peaked through the blinds. A smug smile filled her face. It was going to be a good day.

{}

Angela sat at her desk in the Jeffersonian worrying about her husband and best friend. They were not dealing with the escape of Heather Taffet as well as they normally would.

Brennan was unable to compartmentalise the way she normally would and Angela was worried that her friend would blame her new relationship with Booth. She did not want her friend to mess up the best relationship she's ever had because of not being about to compartmentalise to the capacity she used to. She knew that she should probably give her friend more credit, she had come an extremely long way since they had met; but old habits die hard, and it was even more true for Brennan.

Hodgins was ready to go out and kill Taffet on his own. At times Angela was sure the only reason he hadn't was because he knew that she was disapprove of it. She didn't want to admit it to him but he scared her sometimes when he talked about getting revenge on Taffet. She knew how much it had traumatized him when he had first been kidnapped and buried; but it seemed to her that every further encounter with the grave-digger compounded the feelings and made it worse. He had finally gotten closure at the trial when Taffet had been convicted; now the old wound had been ripped open and salt had been poured over it continuously. She wished there was something that she could to for him to make him feel better; or even just to calm him down, but she knew the only thing that would truly allow him to relax would be to see Taffet dead.

She was getting a little anxious that Taffet's death was a serious possibility, but she didn't want to think about it at the hands of one of the people she loved. It was selfish of her, she knew, but she hoped that if the opportunity arose, Booth would take out Taffet. Angela had an idea of how Booth reacted to having to kill someone. She knew that he didn't like it and avoided it at all costs. Brennan had told her that he still carries the immense guilt with him of all the people he has killed. It was selfish of her, but she wanted him to add one more to the list, so that Hodgins would be safe.

"Ms. Montenegro?" She was jolted from her thoughts by a voice at her door. She did not recognise the young man, hardly older than seventeen standing in her doorway. She nodded.

"I was told to give this to you." He said entering the room. He handed her an envelope.

"Thank you." Angela said, she didn't know why her heart was beginning to race.

{}

Cam never paced. Pacing was for nervous women who didn't have control.

"You need to stop pacing." Paul said as she passed him for the fifth time that night. He knew the whole grave-digger escape thing had her on edge. She had explained the whole thing to him before. He knew how much she cared about her friends and wanted them all to be okay. But his priority was Cam, who was going to wear out the carpet soon.

"I need to do something." Cam replied. She felt useless. She was worried. Worried that one of her friends would actually commit murder in order to get rid of Taffet once and for all. Worried that Taffet might come after Michelle or Paul or herself. Worried that Taffet would go after Booth or Brennan or Angela or Hodgins or Sweets. Worried that Hodgins would have to go share a room with Zach at the looney bin for not being able to handle the situation. Worried that Brennan would be unable to handle the situation and deal with it by running away. Worried that her team was going to fall apart over the escape of Heather Taffet.

"Camille, you need to sit down and take a couple deep breaths okay." Paul got up and placed his hands on her shoulders. Cam forced herself to sit and tried to breathe.

"I need to do something Paul. What if she comes after Michelle? What if she comes after you? Hodgins is having a meltdown, Dr. Brennan doesn't know how to handle the situation; I'm the boss, I'm supposed to know how to handle this."

"You need to calm down. You know Booth will be more than happy to have extra protection put on Michelle and on me until Taffet is caught if you want him to. And I would actually hope that you don't have so many of these types of situations that you know how to handle it all." Paul reasoned with her.

"You're right. I still wish I could do something." Cam sighed. Paul sat down next to her and put his arm around her.

Suddenly her cell phone rang.

"Saroyan." She stood up so fast Paul almost fell off the couch.

"I'll be right there."

{}

"There hasn't been any sign of her." Brennan said angrily. She had been very angry since they had found out about Taffet's escape.

"I know. I know."

"Why hasn't anyone found her?"

"She doesn't want to be found Bones. She wants to control the game. Taffet's smart, she's not going to make it easy for us to find her." Booth tried to explain.

"I don't want her to get anyone else Booth. It's my fault if she does." Brennan said, there was a slight desperation in her voice. Booth immediately had his arms around her.

"Hey, look at me. It is not your fault. Whatever Heather Taffet does, it's not your fault. She's a psychopath and she'll try to make you think that it's your fault, but it's not Bones. It's not." He hugged her to him tightly, willing her to believe him. He couldn't stand the thought that Brennan would take the blame for the atrocities committed by Heather Taffet.

Brennan was quiet in his arms, thinking over what Booth had said. She wasn't sure what to believe. Booth wouldn't lie to her, but Taffet...there was something about the way Taffet approached her and talked to her that made her believe.

As if he could feel her doubt, Booth gently released her and forced her to look at him.

"Bones, you need to believe me. If we're going to have any luck catching Taffet before she gets someone else you need to believe that none of this is your fault. It's not your fault she killed those people, it's not your fault that she escaped from prison." Brennan stared into his eyes. She was constantly overwhelmed by the sincerity and love she always found there. Brennan nodded and then hugged him again, only pulling away when her phone rang.

"Brennan."

"We'll be right there."

{}

Booth and Brennan rushed into the office at full speed. Hodgins was holding onto a petrified Angela, Cam look like she was barely holding it together and Sweets looked ready to faint.

"What happened?" Booth asked quickly. Cam handed him the envelope that had sent Angela off. There were two small papers inside.

_You are the heart. The body can't function without its heart. _

_You are his heart. You will break him. _

Brennan nearly ripped the papers out of Booth's hands; it was only his quick reflexes that stopped her.

"We'll need this as evidence." He said quietly, handing them back to Cam. A knock on the door startled all of them.

"Dr. Brennan, this came for you." It was one of the lab techs, she handed Brennan an envelope identical to the one Angela had been given. Brennan wasted no time in opening it.

_You are the brain. The body doesn't function correctly without the brain._

_Your brain will break him. _

Brennan gasped and let go of the papers. Booth was right behind her, reading over her shoulder. He quickly steadied her and held onto her.

"You won't break me Bones." He whispered in her ear. Taffet was playing on Brennan biggest insecurity and Hodgins' paranoia to bring them all down. It was very clever, but he was going to make sure she didn't get away with it.

"We're all going to get notes like this." He addressed everyone. He was a man who took action. He was a natural leader and alpha male, he was going to make sure that his people were going to be okay.

"We have to ignore them." He continued once everyone was paying attention. "Worrying about them, thinking about them is only going to give satisfaction to Taffet and drive wedges between all of us."

"But what if she's right Booth." Brennan asked logically. She knew she had the power to break Booth. She knew Angela had the power to break Hodgins. "What if I do end up breaking you? And Angela breaks Hodgins?" Hodgins' grip on his wife tighten, pleading with her not to break him.

"Bones, the only way that will happen is if you let it happen. You don't want to break me so you won't. Angela doesn't want to break Hodgins so she won't." Booth hoped he was being convincing.

"Not everything is that simple Booth." Brennan argued.

"You're right Dr. Brennan." Sweets spoke for the first time. "Not everything is that simple. Taffet is trying to get to all of us psychologically, she wants us to doubt each other and fear being hurt by each other so that it is easier for her to hurt us. Taffet will have full control of us if we listen to her notes."

"Thank you Sweets." Booth said sincerely. Despite the situation, Sweets couldn't help feel a little pride, Booth rarely listened to him or thanked him for his input.

"So what do we do?" Cam asked.

"First off, we make sure that everyone had increased security with them at all times." Booth said, no one argued. "We continue trying to find Taffet and in the mean time ignore all her notes unless you think it's a clue."

{}

The next morning arrived with more notes. Cam ignored hers at first, but by ten curiosity had gotten the better of her and she opened it.

_Mommy doesn't have control. Mommy can't help anyone. Mommy is failing. _

Sweets opened his immediately; he was sure that as a trained psychology professional, he would be able to look at his note with complete objectivity and use it to his advantage.

_Baby thinks he knows everything but he doesn't. Not as smart as he thinks he is. _

Hodgins was waiting for his note to arrive. He knew Booth had told him to ignore it, but he had to know what it said. The moment it was in his hands he ripped open the envelope.

_Remember how it was down there. You're the only one who can remember. _

Booth stared at his for a good five minutes before he opened it. He knew he had told everyone to ignore the notes they would get, but he also knew the squints would open them anyway; otherwise the curiosity would kill them.

_It will be your fault when they die, one by one. You won't be able to protect them. _

{}

Max was ready. He had made his plans. He had set everything in order. Nothing could go wrong with his plan. Taffet wanted to hire someone to help her carry out her plan against his daughter and her friends. Luckily he was still in with some people in the crime circuit of DC who had told him about Taffet's plan. She was going to meet with some potential employees that night around midnight at the marina. Max was going to be there, ready to take her out. Booth would probably want the satisfaction of killing Taffet himself just to know that she was really dead; but Max had decided he was going to save his daughter's hero some guilt over taking another life.

The night was extremely dark as he set out to fulfil his task.

{}

The darkness was not going to stop him from taking the shot. Taffet had hurt too many people, she had hurt his family. She needed to be stopped. He pulled the trigger and watched through the scope as it pierced Taffet through the heart. It was a little twisted but he wished for one second that he could have seen the surprise on her face when the bullet hit her. As people began to surround the bloody, dead body of the known killer Heather Taffet, he picked up his gun and silently made his way from the scene.

Everything would be okay now.

{}

"Heather Taffet was shot dead last night." Brennan repeated in both shock and relief.

"Yeah. Right through the heart. " Booth had just gotten off the phone with an FBI agent who had been first law enforcement at the scene.

"Are they sending the body to the Jeffersonian for the autopsy?" Brennan asked.

"He's not sure. Gonna call me back." Booth replied. Brennan was silent for a moment; Booth could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

"Booth, I think it was my father who shot her." She said. Booth looked at her uneasily and didn't say anything. "You don't think so?" She asked. Booth didn't say anything, instead he pulled out his phone and began to call everyone to make sure they heard the news about Taffet.

{}

They stood in front of Max's apartment door knocking for a couple minutes before they both began to worry. It only took one pleading, desperate look from Brennan before Booth kicked the door in, he thanked God for his badge.

It didn't take them long to find Max in the small apartment. Brennan nearly fainted, Booth held her up. Max lay on his kitchen floor, in a pool of blood with a knife sticking out of his chest. A cursory glance around the apartment told Booth that there had been a struggle, and whoever had killed Max had tried to put the rooms back in shape in order to make it look as if there hadn't been a fight.

Brennan was close to petrified in his arms. She kept opening her mouth as if to say something but no words came out. Slowly she lowered herself over her father's body and felt for a pulse. She didn't find one; they both knew she wouldn't.

"He's dead." She said quietly, tears began to fill her eyes. She had lost her father again, this time he wasn't coming back.

Booth reacted quickly; he picked her up and brought her away from the body. He sat down in Max's armchair and held onto his Bones. It was unusual for her to cry, she hated being so vulnerable, but she did and he held her close.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. And for not hating me for killing Max. I really do like him. Here is the next chapter, let me know what you think. Enjoy!**

The next couple days were extremely busy. Preparations were made for Max's funeral; Russ, Amy and the girls drove up and spent the week with Brennan who was coping the worst out of all of them despite not having wanted Max back in her life in the first place. They decided to bury Max next to Ruth. Brennan would normally say that it didn't matter because dead people are dead, but she wanted the symbolism for her parents all the same.

The news about Heather Taffet's mysterious death had spread like wildfire and there was an ongoing albeit not very successful investigation by the bureau to see if they could figure out who had pulled the trigger. Not that anyone really cared who did it; everyone was just relieved that a serial killer was dead.

Additionally, a woman who looked a lot like Heather Taffet had been found shot at the Marina. She had been standing, talking with some friends when she had been shot in the back. It had taken her almost a half hour to die. Cam had been called to do the autopsy and Booth was asked to take the case.

Booth had a feeling in his gut that told him who the killer was. Max had many friends in the DC crime circuit, but he had left the crime scene and therefore could not be trusted completely by the people he left behind. It was Booth's believe that someone had betrayed him. He was even surer that that person had been working with Taffet. He needed to find out who that man was.

Unfortunately, Booth knew exactly where to start the investigation of the young woman's (Terry Hatchet) death. He sent a FBI crime scene unit to Max's apartment; making sure that they knew his and Bones' fingerprints and footprints would be found in the apartment as they were the ones who had found Max dead. He was thankful that there were no bones involved in the case so that his Bones could have a break and mourn her father's death in peace. The rest of the team worked to try and find the killer as quickly as possible.

By the end of the second day it had become obvious that Max had shot Terry Hatchet. His intention had obviously been to take out Taffet but someone had double-crossed him. In a more interesting twist, the evidence showed that it was possible that Max had indeed shot Taffet as well. The time frame between the deaths fit and Max's gun held the same caliber bullets as the one found in Taffet.

"At least we can put this whole thing to rest now." Cam said as she and Booth finished up some paperwork.

"Yeah, yeah." He replied distractedly.

"What's wrong Seeley?" She asked him. He had been acting odd during the investigation though she had attributed it to having to convict his partner's dead father. She did not envy his job at all sometimes.

"Nothing, nothing. Just a lot on my mind. It's been a busy week." Booth responded. Cam nodded her head but was clearly not fully convinced.

"How's Dr. Brennan doing?" She asked.

"She's…not doing so well. I just hope she doesn't blame me for her not being able to compartmentalize." Booth let out a sigh.

"Why would she do that?"

"She's done it before. During the grave-digger trial. She told me that she had lost some objectivity and she couldn't compartmentalize as well as she used to because of the relationships she had formed with people."

"You're worried she's going to blame you and run away? Again?" Cam added after a beat. The look on Booth's face told her all she needed to know but he answered her anyway.

"Yeah. I know I should give her more credit. She's grown and changed a lot, especially this last year. But there's still a part of me that always going to be scared that she's going to run."

"Don't let your own insecurities feed hers." Cam counseled. "If she thinks you're doubting her, she's going to doubt herself. And then she will run away." Booth nodded.

"Yeah. You're right. Thanks." He said sincerely. Then he smiled for the first time in days. "It's a good thing I surrounded myself with such smart women."

Cam couldn't stop the small smile from gracing her face. It gave her confidence that everything would be okay.

{}

Sweets had been trying to get Brennan to openly mourn and talk about her father for the past week. He wanted to know how she felt about Taffet's death also and about the lengths her father went to just to protect her. He knew that she did not appreciate such open, aggressive behaviour, believing that she was just as capable as her father or Booth to eliminate a threat, and rationalized that she could do it without using violence.

He also knew, being the brilliant psychologist that he was, that Brennan had wanted what society deemed as a normal father. One who loved her and showed his love through gifts or endearments. Not the way Max did by killing people who threatened her life. He wondered if she understood why her father was the way he was. And if she saw the similarities she shared with him. Brennan was fiercely protective of the people she cared about also and would do anything to make sure that they didn't get hurt. Sweets wasn't sure if she realized that about herself.

But despite his poking and prodding he was having very limited success and had quickly backed off after a warning from Booth.

Sweets also wanted to talk to Booth about Max's death. He suspected that Booth was both relieved and upset that Max had been the one to get Taffet and now felt guilty about it. Booth was a man who would always take the blame if someone got hurt. It was part of his White Knight syndrome. His compulsive need to take care of everyone usually meant that he was the one who suffered in the end. Booth had failed to keep Max safe and had not been able to kill Taffet. Sweets believed that Booth would be feeling as though he failed Brennan.

The rest of the team he knew would be fine. Cam was so relieved that Taffet was dead that she had given everyone a three day weekend. Although she was sorry for Max's death, and had given Brennan as long as she needed before coming back to work. Hodgins was a new man. It was as if he had suddenly become untouchable. He did tone it down whenever Brennan or Booth were nearby, he had liked Max, but it wasn't hard to see how happy he was that Taffet was dead. Angela had mixed feelings. She was obviously relieved and happy for Hodgins but her best friend had lost her father and now she was worried about how Brennan would deal with it. They were all worried about her.

Sweets knew he had a lot of work a head of him. Particularly with Booth and Brennan. It seemed as though those two always needed more counseling and support than the others. He figured it was because of their traumatic childhoods and insecurities. He just wanted to make sure that his family didn't fall apart once again.

{}

Hodgins felt liberated. The grave-digger was dead, he would be forever thankful to Max Brennan for killing her. She hadn't deserved to live. He knew however that he had to keep his joy over Taffet's death concealed because of Max's tragic murder. The man had been murdered because he wanted to protect his family. Although he hadn't known Max particularly well, he knew that Max wouldn't have gone any other way. He was a man who would do anything to protect his family.

Much like Booth, Hodgins thought. He knew Booth better than he had known Max and had seen Booth's protectiveness in full force. The man had hauled himself out of bed after being blown up just to make sure that he was the one to save Brennan. That was just one of the times he had done something to protect the people he loves. Hodgins felt a shiver go down his spine. Booth was just as capable, probably even more capable than Max to take out a dangerous target like Taffet. He shook his head. The evidence said Max did it.

It made Hodgins think. Would he kill to protect his family? Would he be able to end someone else's life? Sweets would say that you never really know if you are capable of killing someone until you are in that position. But as he thought of Angela and of the children he knew would someday fill his home, he felt as though he would be capable of doing it. He just really really hoped that he would never have to.

{}

"Bones, I have a confession to make." Booth said. His secret had been eating away at him all week. Bones had almost completely shut down since they had found her father dead in his apartment. Booth felt that it was his fault that Max was dead. Taffet had been right. He hadn't been able to protect everyone.

Taffet had been confirmed dead at the scene and by a coroner. Cam was unable to do the autopsy because of conflict of interest but she had been allowed to observe. She was almost giddy when she came out to officially announce that Taffet was dead.

Cam had been the one to do Max's autopsy. Booth had pulled some strings to allow it to happen. He knew that Brennan would feel better about it if Cam was the coroner. She had not dealt with Max's death in the way that anyone but him had expected her to. Everyone had expected her to throw herself into her work and act as if she was completely fine. But he knew that she was not the same person she was a few years ago. She knew that she had to mourn her father as she hadn't when he had left her at fifteen. He was honored that she trusted him enough to let him not only see her mourning but allow him to provide comfort. She really had grown a lot.

Brennan didn't give any indication that she had heard him.

"Bones." Booth sat on the coffee table facing her and took her hands in his.

"I need to tell you something. And I need you not to hate me for it."

"I could never hate you Booth." Brennan said, finally focusing on him. Perhaps what he had to say would distract her from her father's murder.

"Max didn't shoot Taffet." Booth said after a moment's hesitation.

"What?" Brennan asked. This was definitely a distraction; but not the kind she wanted. "The evidence says he did. We found a gun in his apartment that had recently been fired and the caliber matched. She must have been working with someone who then retaliated by killing my father." Brennan laid out the facts she had. Booth looked her straight in the eye.

"I shot Taffet."


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Thanks you much for all the reviews and story alerts, it's very encouraging. I have no idea when I'll be able to update again, at the moment it looks like it might not be for another two weeks but nothing is for sure. I'll update as soon as I can. Hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think :)**

She was staring at him in complete shock. Booth waited nervously for her to say something. The words didn't matter; anything at that point would calm him. Instead she rose silently and left the apartment with saying a word. She didn't even slam the door.

{}

Brennan somehow made it to her office. A million thoughts were running through her head. She felt as though she couldn't breathe. Booth had shot Taffet. Her father had been murdered. Booth had shot Taffet. Her father had been murdered. Brennan felt as though she would vomit soon. She couldn't believe that Booth would deliberately go out and shoot Heather Taffet. She had expected that behaviour from her father, but not from Booth.

{}

Booth was sitting in the same spot she had left him. He wasn't sure what to do. He was trying his best not to panic. Hyperventilating wouldn't help solve anything. Booth was torn between going after her (anyone could guess that she would go to her office) and letting her have some space. He decided on space. Partly because he needed some too; his confession had not left him feeling any better.

{}

"Bren?" Angela asked, surprised to see her best friend already at work. The entire week she had only come in so that Booth knew someone was always watching her. Brennan hadn't even complained about how chauvinistic or alpha male or childish or whatever it was; which only emphasized how serious the situation was.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Brennan looked up at her friend, her eyes were slightly wild, and her brain was over-thinking everything. Before she could stop herself, Brennan blurted out Booth's secret.

"Booth was the one who shot Taffet." Angela stood frozen for a moment.

"What?"

"Booth was the one who shot Taffet." Brennan repeated.

"I don't understand." Angela said. "The evidence says Max did it. Oh my god, Sweetie, did Booth plant the evidence in your father's apartment?"

"What? No. Booth has the same caliber weapon. We all just assumed that my father did it because the bullet fit and he had accidentally killed that young woman and he really wanted to kill Taffet. I expected him to."

"Sweetie…" Angela didn't know what to say. "You know he only did it to protect you right? The same reason that your father wanted to kill Taffet."

"Booth hates killing people. He has nightmares about it." Brennan said, not understanding why there were tears prickling her eyes. She didn't understand anything of what she was feeling at the moment. Normally she would got to Booth, but there was no way she was going to let him help her right now.

"Dr. Brennan, I found blood traces that weren't your father's on the knife…" Cam stopped mid-sentence as she looked up from the file in her hands and saw a distressed Brennan and worried Angela.

"What's going on?" She asked concerned. Brennan rarely looked distressed, and usually it had to do with Booth. Angela and Brennan shared an uneasy look.

"Okay…Well I found minute blood traces on the knife that didn't belong to Max and ran them through the NCIC database. There was a match: Marcus Wolf. Now what's going on?"

"Did Marcus Wolf have any connections to Taffet?" Brennan asked going into professional mode.

"Not that anyone can determine so far. I called Booth, he's picking up Wolf. Now how about one of you tell me what's going on before I have to ask again." Cam demanded in her bossiest tone.

"Booth was the one who shot Heather Taffet." Angela explained. When Cam's mouth didn't drop in shock, Brennan and Angela shared another look.

"Did you know?" Brennan demanded seriously. She was going to have to hurt Booth if he had told Cam about his plan and not her.

"No, no. I didn't know. But I'm not really surprised." Cam said quickly.

"Why not?" Angela asked. "I was stunned."

"Booth's a protector. He does whatever he can to protect the people he loves." Cam replied simply.

{}

"Hodgins have you seen Bones?" Booth asked, not even breaking his stride.

"Is that your new way of saying hello?" Hodgins asked jogging a couple steps to catch up to Booth, who ignored the entomologist's sarcasm.

"She's in her office talking with Angela and Cam." He said, faltering when Booth stopped suddenly.

"She won't want to see me." Booth said.

"Uh…okay." Hodgins was perplexed. He looked at Booth and then shot his gaze towards Brennan's office where the three women looked to be having a serious conversation.

"You do something wrong man?" He asked the obviously uneasy special agent.

"Yeah, no…I don't even know. Yes I did. I did something wrong." Hodgins raised an eyebrow.

"You gonna tell me or do you wanna hear about the evidence I found against Marcus Wolf?" Hodgins asked waving a file in Booth's face.

"Wolf confessed. He told Max wrong information about the gravedigger so that Max would shoot Terry Hatchet and then hoped that everyone would blame Taffet for Max's murder."

"Wow, how'd you get him to confess?" Hodgins asked impressed.

"I can be very persuasive." Booth said distractedly, looking at Brennan. Without another word, he turned around and walked out of the lab.

{}

"Okay, someone needs to tell us what is going on." Hodgins said entering Brennan's office with Sweets at his heels. Sweets had also been at a loss to explain the odd behaviour of their friends. They decided confrontation was the best way to get to the bottom of it. The three women looked up in unison. After a beat, Cam stood up. She was the boss after all; at least that's what her title said.

"What I'm about to say doesn't leave this room." She said seriously. They nodded like obedient children.

"Booth shot Heather Taffet." Sweets nearly fainted, Hodgins felt like his eyes were going to pop out of his head.

"Are you serious?" He asked. He went over the conversation he had had with Booth earlier. He understood now. Booth didn't know if he had done something wrong because legally he had but personally he was doing what he knew had to be done to protect his family. Hodgins felt for the guy; and definitely did not envy him. He realized belatedly that Cam had nodded yes.

"Woah." Sweets breathed. His mind was going a mile a minute. "I'm actually not as shocked as I thought I was." He said suddenly. They all turned to look at him.

"What? Booth suffers from -"

"Really don't need any of that right now Sweets." Hodgins said patting him forcefully on the back. Sweets frowned.

"What are we going to do?" He asked. They all looked at Brennan.

"I need to speak with Booth."

{}

"Bones." Booth breathed in relief when he opened the door and found her standing on the other side. He had been so worried that she would never want to see him again. He was still worried that she was going to shut him out and blame him for Max's death, which, despite not relating to the gravedigger at all, he still felt responsible for.

"I understand why you did what you did." Brennan said, jumping right into the conversation. She was never one to beat around the bush. Booth merely nodded. He was going to let her say whatever she needed to say.

"You wanted to protect me." Tears came unbidden into her eyes. Booth nodded again.

"I did it to protect you. Because I love you. I did the one thing I told everyone not to do. I let Taffet's note get to me. She said I wasn't going to be able to protect everyone." Booth blinked back a few of his own tears. "I was so scared that she was going to get you, or Parker. I was scared." The silence that hung between them was heavy. Neither was sure how to continue the conversation. Finally, Brennan broke the silence.

"I've talked with Cam. We are going to release an official statement saying that my father killed Taffet. Hodgins, Angela and Sweets know but no one else does." Her tone was clinical, it worried Booth.

"You're willing to do that?" He asked touched that she would want to protect him from the law when she was so passionate about justice and finding the truth. He really didn't feel that he deserved her.

"Yes. You did what you did to protect me. Now it's my turn to protect you." Brennan explained with a slight shrug.

"I really don't deserve you." Booth said sadly. Brennan looked at him hard. When she didn't say anything Booth felt his stomach drop. His heart was racing, wondering if she was going to tell him that their relationship was over. Wondering if she was going to tell him that she needed some space away from him.

"I love you." He said. Brennan merely nodded.

"I'm going to stay at my place tonight." She said. They stood looking at each other a moment longer before she turned and headed towards the door. Just as she was about to close it behind her, she placed a hand on his chest.

"I do love you." She said softly, not looking into his eyes. And then she was gone, leaving Booth to wonder if he had made the worst mistake of his life when he pulled the trigger on Heather Taffet. But his heart told him that nothing mattered as long as she and Parker were safe.

{}

"_I can't believe you got me killed Booth." Max said incredulously as he shook his head. "What were you thinking? Tempe is going to hate you forever now. There is no way she is going to continue to love you. She trusted you." _

"_I didn't betray her trust Max." Booth said helplessly. "I wouldn't do that. I had to keep her safe. I had to keep Parker safe. You know what that's like Max. You've done it before."_

"_Did you really do it for their protection? Or did you just want the glory of killing the gravedigger?"_

"_There is no glory in taking someone's life Max." Booth said quietly. _

"_Right, right…but you're so good at it. And you've gotten awards and commendations for it. You must like it a little." Max teased._

"_No. I don't. I'd be perfectly fine if I never had to take another life."_

"_Really? I'm not so sure." Max said. Before Booth could respond, Max began to walk away. Booth waited a moment before jogging to catch up. They walked in silence through a field of poppies. Strangely, or perhaps not, Booth found himself reciting 'In Flanders Field' to himself.  
_

"_You couldn't protect everyone Booth." Max said suddenly pointing to the open field in front of them. Booth fell back in shock. _

_The field was covered with bodies... His mother in a floral nightdress, her eyes glazed over, lay in a pool of her own blood. Jared was laying through the windshield of car that had hit a tree; Pops was dangling from another. _

"_No…no…Jared's alive, he's married and having a baby. And Pops is fine, he's doing fine." Booth began to hyperventilate. He took a couple steps forward and then was forced to take a few steps back as he came upon Cam's burning body. Booth's heart was racing, he couldn't breathe. Angela and Hodgins hands were sticking out of the soil._

"_No…please God. Please." He begged. But it was too late. Parker and Brennan, each with bullet hole through their hearts, lay in their coffins. Booth fell to his knees, his eyes were fixed on them. _

"_Daddy, why didn't you save me?" Parker asked him, blood began to run from the bullet hole in his chest. Blood began to run from Brennan's as well.  
"Booth, you promised to protect me…you promised."_

Booth gasped harshly and sat up. He was shaking with fear and could feel the tears running down his face. Trying to bring his breathing back to normal, he stared at the picture on his beside table; it was one of him and Bones and Parker. He needed them.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Change of plans, lots less work for me which means updates. Thanks for all the reviews and alerts and favorites. Hope you enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think :)**

Booth stood in the doorway watching his son who was sleeping peacefully. Parker was growing up so fast; Booth had less frequent visits from him during the night. There was no more need to scare away the monsters under the bed. It made his heart sink.

The role reversal was what upset Booth the most. Parker no longer needed his father to hold him, but Booth needed to hold his son to ward off the nightmares he knew would plague him otherwise. But there was no way he was going to burden his son that way.

The only other person who was good at warding off his nightmares, or at least made him feel better afterward, couldn't seem to spend more than a couple minutes in his presence.

"She's safe, Parker's safe. That's all that matter." Booth recited to himself. It had become his mantra since he had confessed to Bones.

He had been happy before the whole gravedigger issue had arisen again and he hated Heather Taffet more in death for taking that away from him. Even if it was his fault for pulling the trigger, it was her fault for targeting the people he loved simply because she wanted to see innocent people suffer.

Booth sighed and returned to his room to stare at the ceiling. He was surprised when his door opened twenty minutes later.

"Dad?" Parker called softly into the dark room.

"Parker, what's wrong?" Booth asked concerned; his protective instincts had been on high alert since the nightmares had started and he immediately jumped to horrible, worst case scenarios.

"Nothing. I just had a bad dream." Parker replied. He hesitated a moment at the door; he was eleven now and he didn't want to seem like a wimp. Slowly, he made his way over to his father's large bed and climbed in. He gave his father a hug and whispered,

"Please don't ever go back to the army."

{}

Brennan was sitting on her bed; she had given up any pretense of going to sleep. She hadn't had a good night's sleep since Booth had confessed to her that he had killed Heather Taffet. She didn't know what she was feeling. She knew that she didn't feel betrayed by Booth. It was obvious to her and everyone who knew Booth that he was extremely over protective of the people he loved and would do anything to protect them.

It was his protectiveness that was bothering her. Not because she was ungrateful and resented his need to protect her. It was because of the lengths he would go to protect her; it overwhelmed her. He had limped out of the hospital after being blown up just to save her. He had gotten shot and nearly died to save her life. Now he had shot Taffet to make sure that she and Parker would not get hurt. It was too much. Her father had been very over protective; killing and cutting up deputy directors of the FBI to make sure she was safe. But her father and been a career criminal. It was why she was okay with letting her father take the blame for Taffet's death. He would have died proud and happy if he had killed Taffet. But Booth fought for justice every day and had more passion for the truth and for justice than anyone she knew. Brennan was worried that he wouldn't be able to handle his own secret and would eventually turn himself in over the guilt of taking someone else's life. Even if Taffet hadn't deserved to live.

Brennan also knew that he would blame himself for her father's death also. Booth was that type of person. He had promised her to try and make sure that everyone came out for the ordeal alive and he would believe that he had failed her. She knew that. He hadn't been able to protect everyone; it was one of his biggest fears realized. But she didn't blame him for her father's death. Her father was murdered by a common criminal who was just taking advantage of the situation. She could never blame Booth for that.

She knew that the nightmares would start over again now. The nightmares had been few and far between for a while now. And she was usually there to comfort him when he did have one. Brennan hated herself for being too scared, too emotionally unstable to be there for him when he needed her. He always found a way to comfort her; even if he was also suffering. In this case, he was suffering much more than she was and she still couldn't bring herself to go to him. She didn't know why. Things had been going so great; she should have known that the happiness wouldn't last.

{}

"I'm worried." Angela said into the silence that had enveloped the lab the past couple days. She and Hodgins were sitting alone in her office.

"About what?" Hodgins asked.

"Bren…and Booth. I don't know. This whole situation is just so…odd."

"It's a conspiracy theorist's dream. Secret cover-up to protect one of our own." Hodgins said trying to lighten the mood. Angela gave him a look.

"I don't know how Bren is going to deal with this. She is so passionate about finding the truth all the time. She had the truth; but it's not what she wants it to be so she's altering evidence?" Angela sighed and sat back.

"She's doing what she feels she has to do to protect Booth. Booth would do that same for her. You know that." Hodgins put his arm around his wife.

"I know. I guess I'm just surprised at how much she's changed since we've met." Angela said putting her head on his shoulder. "Seven years ago she wouldn't have hesitated to make the truth known.

"We've all changed a lot since then." He responded. "And I don't have any regrets about changing."

{}

Sweets was having a hard time. On the one hand he was not at all surprised that Booth had shot Taffet. On the other hand; he couldn't believe that Booth had shot Taffet. Sweets looked up to Booth; as a man, as a friend, as a person. He couldn't believe that this person he looked up to as almost a father figure (Sweets definitely held familial feelings for Booth) would kill someone willingly. He knew that Booth had killed a lot of people, Brennan had said approximately fifty, and felt guilty about it.

"_I've killed, but I've never murdered before. Look up the difference in your little black book there."_ The words hit him as clearly as they had the day Booth had stormed out of his office. Then, Sweets had accused Booth of having anger issues. Now, Sweets realized that he had underestimated just how severe Booth's White Knight Syndrome was. It wasn't anger or rage that was boiling beneath the surface that attracted Booth to the army and then to the FBI. It was the overwhelming compulsive need to help and protect people. To make sure that others didn't get hurt. It wasn't just the psyche of a true warrior. He was a true Paladin.

{}

"Hey Seeley." Cam said walking into his apartment. "I know you were hoping I was Dr. Brennan." She could read him very well after twenty years of friendship. Booth didn't say anything.

"Have you heard from her at all?" She asked. Booth shook his head.

"No. She won't even stand in the same room with me. I've really messed things up." Booth threw himself onto the couch.

"C'mon Seeley. You know her better than anyone. You know why she's acting like this." Cam answered sympathetically.

"She put her heart into overdrive and now her heart and head are battling it out."

"Just give her some time and space." Booth snorted softly.

"You sound like me." He said.

"Well you do usually give very good advice." Cam replied sincerely. Booth squeezed her hand. He really appreciated the special friendship he had with Camille. And he had really needed someone to just sit with and not have to think about the horrible thing he had done.

"Remember that time we downed those gigantic slushies in like two minutes?" He asked replaying the memory in his head. Cam laughed.

"Of course. I was spitting up blue for days."

"You were such a wild child back then." Booth commented.

"I was in my twenties." Cam retorted. "Who isn't at that age?"

"I don't know. I can't really imagine Bones being a wild child. And Hodgins would make one really bad partier. I mean, he's nuts when it comes to bugs and slime and conspiracy theories, but parties…" Cam laughed.

"I think that's just because you can only picture them as the geeks in high school who were never invited to the parties." She said. It was Booth's turn to laugh.

"I never thought my closest friends would be squints." He said honestly.

"People change." Cam replied. "You were much more arrogant when I met you."

"I was twenty. I thought I knew everything." They laughed again.

"Thanks for coming over tonight Camille." Booth said earnestly.

"You're welcome Seeley." Booth grinned.

"Don't call me Seeley."

"Don't call me Camille."

They're friendly banter was interrupted by a knock on the door. Booth knew it was Brennan from the way she had knocked, it was very determined.

"I guess that's my cue to leave." Cam said getting up and reaching for her purse.

Booth opened the door and sure enough, Brennan was standing on the other side. They stood simply looking at each other for a moment before Cam sighed.

"Why do I always have to interrupt when you're having a moment?" She asked rhetorically. Both their heads snapped in her direction. They waited for Cam to squeeze past them and descend the stairs before they turned back to each other.

"Do you want to come in?" Booth asked tentatively. He really wasn't sure what to expect.

"Yes." Brennan responded and walked into his apartment. She sat down on his couch and waited for him to follow her.

"I want to apologize for my rather irrational and odd behaviour these past couple days." Brennan started before he could speak.

"Bones." Booth said softly, "you don't have to apologize. I know what I did was…it's hard to accept."

"I had no problem in accepting what you did Booth. I know you and I know why you did it. I just, I don't understand my feelings towards what I did." Brennan tried to explain.

"Brain versus heart." Booth stated. Brennan nodded.

"I think so. Logically it would make sense that I would officially release that my father killed Taffet in order to protect you because I love you. But it would also be logical for me to tell the truth because you killed someone and what we do…"

"We put killers away." Booth said sadly. His heart was beginning to crumble. She had associated him; put him in a box with the sick people that they spend their lives trying to get off the streets. But she had a point, he was a killer. Logically he belonged in that box. Brennan seemed to sense what he was thinking.

"You are not a murderer. There is a difference between what you did and what the people we convict do." She said.

"I still took someone's life."

"And you feel remorse for what you did despite Heather Taffet being a serial killer." She paused, then said earnestly, "Booth you shot a clown head and had to go to therapy because you thought that you may have killed Epps. You don't enjoy killing, but you do what you feel is necessary in order to protect the people you love." They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments.

"I want you to move in with me." Brennan said suddenly. Booth nearly slid out of his seat thinking he had misheard her.

"What?"

"I would like for you to move in with me." Brennan repeated. "My apartment is bigger, plus we could turn the guest bedroom into a bedroom for Parker." Booth's head was spinning. He had no idea how the conversation had gone from him killing Heather Taffet to Brennan asking him to move in.

"You want me to move in with you?" He asked.

"I just said that, twice. Do you need to get your hearing checked?" She asked seriously.

"No, no. I heard you fine both times. I just wanted to be sure." Booth said.

"If you don't want to I can understand. Having your own space is important and -" Booth pressed a finger to her lips, effectively cutting her off.

"I'd love to move in with you Bones." He said looking at her tenderly. "I was just surprised because we were talking about me killing Taffet before and I was worried that you wouldn't be able to forgive me for that. Or for making you have to choose between your brain and heart." Brennan bowed her head and stared at his coffee table.

"When it comes to you, my head rarely wins over my heart." She confessed. Booth was extremely touched by her confession. He knew how hard it was for her to admit something like that when she prided herself in being logical and relying on her brain in all situations.

"I love you." He whispered and then placed a kiss to her temple. Brennan finally turned back to look at him.

"I love you too. Does that mean you'll move in with me?"

"You're sure?" He asked seriously.

"Yes. I've been thinking about it for a while now. Since before Heather Taffet escaped from jail. I wasn't ready then, even though it was only a couple weeks ago but I feel now that I am ready to make that commitment." She explained. "I don't hate you for killing Taffet. I don't blame you for my father's death. I would like to move past this whole ordeal though and continue on with our lives. I'm happy when I'm with you and I don't want that to change."

"Temperance Brennan, you are the most wonderful person ever." Booth said sincerely, blinking back some tears. He couldn't believe how wonderful she was; basically absolving him of his sin. Allowing him not only to stay in her life but asking him to move in with her. He really didn't feel like he deserved her. But he wasn't going to say that now. He felt as though he had been given another chance with her and was grateful. And he was determined not to mess it up again.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Okay fluff and well attempted smut like asked for :) Please let me know what you think. Reviews are very much appreciated and are always encouraging. Enjoy!**

_Parker and Bones were looking at him from their open coffins, their bodies covered in blood _

_"Booth, you broke you're promise. You said no one would hurt me. You betrayed me Booth." _

_"Why didn't you save me Daddy?" _

Booth woke with a start. His heart was beating erratically and his breathing was heavy.

"Booth?" Brennan asked groggily rolling over to face him. Booth closed his eyes and tried steady his breathing.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." He whispered.

"You had a nightmare." Brennan stated.

"Yeah."

"What was it about?" She asked now fully awake.

"I wasn't able to protect you and Parker." He got choked up replaying the dream in his head. "You were both dead and asking me why I hadn't done anything to save you." His voice was barely above a whisper. Brennan felt her own heart aching. She knew that it was his worst fear not being able to protect her or his son. She loathed Heather Taffet for making him doubt his abilities to be the protector. Everyone had been able to move past the Heather Taffet debacle since her death, but Booth was still carrying it around on his shoulders everyday.

"I know you will always protect us Booth, to the best of your abilities." She said in an attempt to comfort him. He gave her a watery smile. Brennan sat up straighter and kissed him fully on the mouth.

She had meant it to be a kiss of comfort. But she quickly found herself getting lost in the kiss, especially when he wrapped his arms around her waist, the tips of his fingers finding their way under her top. Brennan groaned softly as he lowered her back onto the bed, his large body covering hers. He moved away from her mouth and began kissing down her neck, spending extra time in that sweet spot at the base of her neck. Brennan moaned sensuously.

Suddenly Booth's phone rang.

"Don't answer it." Brennan said breathlessly.

"It's Parker's ring." Booth said against her lips, as he attempted to disentangle himself from Brennan.

"Bones I need to answer him." He said a little more forcefully. Brennan pulled away and let him get up to answer his phone.

"Hey, Buddy what's up?" Booth asked trying to keep his voice normal. He did not need his eleven year old to know what he had been doing.

"Dad." Parker sounded scared.

"Parker what's wrong? Are you okay? What happened?" Booth began to panic. Brennan got out of bed and began to find clothes to wear as Booth one-handedly tried to put on his jeans while he listened to Parker.

"I don't know. I just, I wanted to talk to you." Booth's heart was still racing but the adrenaline was slowly decreasing.

"What's wrong bud? Booth paused and waited for Parker to continue.

"I had another nightmare." Parker whispered.

"Was it the same one as the last time?" Booth asked softly.

"Yes."

"I'm gonna come get you okay? We'll talk everything over." Booth said gently. Parker nodded his head, and then realized that his father couldn't see him.

"Okay."

{}

Paul was nervous. Tonight was the night he was going to propose to Cam. He was extremely grateful that the whole grave-digger debacle had finished a couple weeks previously and therefore would not ruin the moment.

"Are you okay?" Cam asked him, stepping into the room.

"Of course." He replied and leaned in for a kiss.

"Are you sure?" She asked once they had pulled apart.

"Yep. Happy Birthday by the way." He said cheekily. Cam rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"Thank you."

{}

"I thought we were going to the diner." Parker said as he sat in his father's car.

"We will, later. I wanted us to talk first. At home." Booth replied, carefully maneuvering the car into the parking garage under Brennan's and now his building.

"I don't really feel like talking Dad, can't we just go get milkshakes." Booth pulled into a parking spot and turned off the car, but he made no attempt to get out.

"Listen Bud, having nightmares at eleven doesn't make you a wimp."

"Yes it does. No one else has nightmares anymore." Parker whined angrily, folding his arms over his chest.

"How do you know that?" Booth asked.

"They're eleven; eleven year olds don't have nightmares. It's like I'm still a little kid."

"Parker, listen to me." Booth turned to fully face his son. "Nightmares come no matter how old you are. I still get nightmares sometimes. Does that make me a wimp?"

"No." Parker said, his father was the strongest, bravest person he knew.

"Do you really still get nightmares?" He asked his dad after a brief silence.

"Yeah I do." Booth replied sincerely.

"But you're not afraid of anything." Parker said. Booth looked at his son affectionately, he loved that Parker thought that he like some type of superhero.

"There are lots of things that I'm scared of Parker." Booth admitted. "I'm scared that something bad is going to happen to you or to Bones. And sometimes I have nightmares that you guys get hurt."

"I have nightmares that you get hurt." Parker said, blinking as he realized tears were invading his eyes.

"My job is dangerous, and there is a possibility that I could get hurt. But I try to stay safe, so that I can protect you and Bones." Parker nodded. "And you know that you can tell me about any of your nightmares Bud. I don't care what time it is, you can call me whenever you want." Parker nodded again.

"Thanks Dad." Booth leaned over and gave his son a hug, kissing the top of his head before pulling back.

"Why are you smiling?" Booth asked, smiling himself.

"I think this was one of the conversations that was supposed to wait till I have hair under my arms." Parker said with a laugh. Booth laughed and ruffled Parker's hair.

"Let's go get those milkshakes."

{}

"You ready?" Booth asked walking up to Paul. Everyone was at Paul and Cam's house celebrating Cam's birthday. She had actually been surprised when she had walked through the door and her friends had been standing on the other side waiting. She had expected to have a birthday dinner with Paul.

"Yep. Don't think I've ever been so prepared." Paul replied. Booth smiled at him and clapped him on the back.

"Good luck." Paul nodded. He moved over to the sound system and switched the CD so that it was playing I'll Be by Edwin Mc Cain. It was secretly Cam's favorite song. He moved and pulled Cam into a slow dance. She blushed and smiled embarrassed (his favorite smile). All the couples in the room found their way into their partner's arms and danced slowly to the music. As the song came to an end, everyone made a circle around Cam and Paul; they knew what was coming. The last notes of the song faded out. Paul pulled away from Cam.

"You look so beautiful embarrassed." He said softly with a grin. Cam couldn't help but continue smiling. Paul got down on one knee.

"Camille Saroyan. Will you marry me?" There was a moment's silence as Cam looked at him in shock.

"Yes." She was grinning like a fool but nothing could wipe the smile off her face. "Yes." She repeated. Paul quickly put the ring on her finger then got up and pulled her into a kiss. The squints and Booth threw their home-made confetti over the happy couple. Cam broke away from Paul and each of her friends came up to her to give her a hug.

"Congratulations Camille." Booth said giving her a tight squeeze.

"Thank you Seeley."

"Ooo I can't believe you're engaged." Angela squealed excitedly.

{}

"Hi Lancelot." Daisy walked up to Sweets who was sitting by himself on the porch.

"Hi Daisy." He responded.

"Are you okay?" She asked. She knew he wasn't. They had both thought that once she had returned from Muluku that everything would be okay but it had been hard and they still weren't back together yet a year later. Neither knew what had happened. But both knew they wanted their old relationship back.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sweets said with a fake smile.

"Don't lie to me Lance." Daisy said seriously. She rarely adopted a completely serious tone. Usually opting for exuberance. "I minored in Psychology remember."

"I remember."

"Do you want to tell me what you're thinking about?" She asked him. Sweets gave her another smile, genuine this time.

"I was just thinking about us, and how before Muluku how everything was going so great." He said somewhat despondently.

"We were the ones who were engaged." Daisy said sadly. Sweets simply nodded.

"I miss you Daisy."

"I miss my Lancelot." Daisy confessed.

"Really?"

"Yes, of course. Did you think I wouldn't miss you?" She asked. They were both wondering why it had taken them such a long time to have this conversation. Maybe they were too scared that they couldn't get back what they had lost and didn't want to hope. Maybe they just hadn't been ready before.

"I don't know. You had no problems leaving." Sweets said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his tone.

"Just because I left doesn't mean I didn't miss you. I asked you if you were going to wait for me and you said no." Daisy said angrily.

"I wasn't thinking straight. I was sad and angry that you were leaving."

"Are you thinking straight now?" She asked him seriously. Sweets looked at her.

"Yes."

"Do you know what you want?" She asked, her usual playfulness creeping back into her tone and she smiled.

"You. It's always been you Daisy." Sweets confessed. She let out one of her famous Daisy squeals and clapped excitedly.

"I was hoping you'd say that!" She said with a giant smile.

{}

"Booth." Brennan said hesitantly. They were back at home relaxing in front of the television before going to bed.

"Yeah Bones?" Booth asked turning his attention to her; there was nothing interesting on the TV anyway.

"Do you still think about getting married?" She asked curiously. Cam's engagement had given her a lot to think about. On certain issues, Booth was a very traditional man. Marriage was one of those topics. She on the other hand, saw no reason to enter into such an antiquated ritual. Booth exhaled.

"Yeah I still think about it." He confessed.

"So you still want to get married?" She questioned slowly, not sure if she wanted the answer since she already knew what it was going to be.

"I do." Booth said. He swallowed. "But I know you don't." Brennan stayed silent.

"I'm okay with that Bones."

"Really?" She asked skeptically.

"I have you. As long as I have you I'll be good." He threw her a charm smile which she couldn't help but return.

"I don't need to be married to be happy Bones. I just need you and Parker." Booth said tenderly.

"But you wouldn't object to getting married.

"No, I wouldn't."

"Why did you change your mind?" She asked a couple minutes later. She was certain that this was one issue that he would not budge on, she knew she wouldn't.

"I didn't change my mind. I'm just compromising."

"Sometimes you have to settle for the second best situation." Brennan repeated Avalon's words softly. Booth nodded his head wisely.

They went back to watching the TV but neither of them was following what was going on. Both were thinking about their relationship and marriage.

"I love you." Brennan said as they climbed into bed together. Booth smiled affectionately at her and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"I know Bones. I love you too." He kissed her again. His hand ghosted up her leg before settling on her hip. His other hand was tangled in her hair. Brennan felt her body reacting instantly to his touch and let out a soft moan as his lips met the sensitive spot at the base of her neck. He had moved from her hair to her shoulder, slowly moving the strap of the tank top down. Booth wanted to make it very clear that even if they never got married, as long as he had her in his arms every night and she loved him, he would be happy. He was going to spend all night proving to her that he loved her no matter what.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: So sorry I haven't updated in a while. The promo had my imagination going wild with all ****** related stories. Thanks to Max for giving me an idea for this through your randomness. Thanks to everyone for reading and reviews and all the alerts. Once again, I have no psychological knowledge so I hope that part is okay. Enjoy and let me know what you think :)  
**

Booth walked into Sweets' office, surprising the young psychologist. They were not currently working on a case together nor did they have a scheduled meeting, Sweets was at a loss as to why Booth was there; not that he was complaining.

"Agent Booth, is there something wrong?" Sweets asked. He had noticed that Booth had seemed to be distracted all week.

"Nothing's wrong." Booth insisted.

"Really? Cause you've been acting kinda weird lately." Sweets commented. He decided not to point out the fact that Booth had been the one to come into his office, not the other way around.

"Is weird your professional opinion?" Booth asked sarcastically. Defensive, as usual.

"Is this about Cam getting engaged? I know you are a traditional man and Dr. Brennan definitely has her opinions on marriage. Did you guys get into a fight?" Sweets persisted.

"Why are you being so nosy?" Booth asked, he had been looking out the window and finally turned to face the young psychologist.

"It's my job to make sure that you and Dr. Brennan are working together correctly. I don't want to have to separate the two of you."

"No one is going to separate us Sweets." Booth said in a tone that left no room for argument. Then he sighed.

"Parker's been having nightmares." Booth admitted.

"Oh? What about?" Sweets asked interested. He was not surprised that Booth was seeking help for his son, it wasn't the first time.

"Me getting hurt." Booth said. Sweets could see the pain in Booth's eyes. He knew that Booth hated that he was causing his son any form of pain. He made it his life's purpose to protect the people he loved from pain.

"Oh. That's interesting." Sweets said. "Why do you think he's having those types of nightmares?"

"I don't know. You're the shrink here. You're supposed to know."

"Maybe it's because you were in a war zone?" Sweets suggested.

"I've been back for over a year now Sweets." Booth said. "And Parker wanted me to go to Afghanistan to save those soldiers."

"Right. But he might be feeling guilty about that. He might just now be realizing that you could have died in Afghanistan. He was what eight when you left? He probably didn't realize how dangerous it was going to be."

"Nine, he was nine when I left. He's eleven now."

"Eleven year olds have a much better grasp on dangerous situations than nine year olds. They have entered into another level of thinking. Parker is probably just beginning to process everything now." Sweets explained.

"Okay. Fine. But how can I help him make the nightmares go away?" Booth asked. Sweets had to smile slightly, Booth's love and want to protect his son was heartwarming.

"You're going to suggest therapy aren't you?" Booth questioned, misinterpreting Sweets' smile.

"Actually I wasn't. I was going to suggest that you take as many opportunities as possible to reassure him that you're okay, that you're safe and that you'll do your best to stay safe." Sweets said.

"Oh. Well I kinda did that already." Booth said, slightly surprised.

"Really? Well that's good. Just keep reminding him."

"I will, but I can't guarantee that I'll never get hurt. I'm an FBI agent." Booth said. "There's always the possibility that I'll get hurt."

"You sound kinda like Dr. Brennan." Sweets said amused. They really did help each other evolve.

"Well Bones is a genius. So I just keep doing what I'm doing and hope the nightmares go away?" Booth wanted confirmation. Sweets nodded.

"Is he having any other trouble with the nightmares? I know at his age he is probably ashamed of having nightmares." Sweets asked. He knew from personal experience.

"He was but not anymore."

"Really?" Sweets asked, he wanted to hear Booth's explanation.

"I told him that he had nothing to be ashamed of because everyone had nightmares. Even me."

"Are your nightmares becoming worse again?" Sweets asked brow furrowed. He had actually expected them to after the whole killing the grave-digger thing. He was surprised neither Booth or Brennan had mentioned it in recent sessions.

"We aren't talking about me. We're talking about Parker." Booth said defensively, effectively answering Sweets' question.

"You know I'll be happy to talk whenever you want Booth." Sweets said, letting his professionalism slide for a moment. Booth looked at him hard for a moment before sighing.

"Thanks Sweets." He said. Suddenly his phone rang and he was out the door before Sweets could say anything else. Typical.

{}

"Bren, sweetie are you okay?" Angela asked her best friend.

"Yes."

"Are you sure? Is everything okay with Booth?" She prodded.

"Yes, our relationship is stable." Brennan said.

"So you forgave him for, you know."

"There was nothing to forgive Ange. He was protecting me and Parker."

"Right. How come you look so lost in thought then?" Angela asked. "I know it's not about any of the limbo cases."

"No. I was thinking about something Booth said the other night." Brennan said.

"Oh? Something good or something bad?"

"I'm not sure." Brennan admitted.

"You're not sure if what he said was good or bad? What did he say?" Brennan knew her friend was asking because she wanted to help, and not because she was being nosy so she acquiesced.

"The night Cam got engaged I asked him if he still thought about getting married. He said that he still thought about marriage but that he is willing to compromise and not get married because he knows that I don't want to." Brennan explained.

"Huh. You're right. I don't know if it's good or bad." Angela conceded. "What did you say?"

"I said he was settling for the second best situation." Brennan said. Angela was unsure of how to respond.

"What did he say to that?" She asked.

"Nothing. He nodded and then I told him I loved him and he told me he loved me. He said all he needs is me and Parker."

"But you know that he wouldn't mind getting married."

"That's what he said. I know he wants to get married." Brennan exhaled loudly. "I don't think I can get married though. I don't need a piece of paper to prove my commitment."

"I don't think it has anything to do with the piece of paper Sweetie, he is going to love you no matter what." Angela said consolingly.

After Angela left the office, Brennan continued thinking about marriage.

"_I believe that marriage is something you need a reason to enter into. I never found that reason."_ She had said that to her cousin Margaret when they had met at the diner. At the time she hadn't had a reason. But things had changed a lot since then.

{}

"I was thinking about going to see Pops this weekend." Booth said to Brennan as they put away groceries. He loved how domestic it was, going to the store together, putting the groceries away, arguing over the best way to organize the produce in the fridge.

"That's a good idea. We haven't seen him in a while." Brennan said. Booth loved that she automatically included herself.

"Yeah. He hasn't seen Parker in a while either."

"It's not our weekend with him; will Rebecca allow us to take him to see Pops?" Brennan asked.

"Well I'm going to ask her really really nicely." Booth said. Brennan smiled.

{}

Booth was on his way to pick up Parker. Rebecca had given in surprisingly easily to his request to have Parker for two weekends in a row. He thought maybe it was because of Parker's nightmares. Whatever the reason, he was just glad be too able to spend more time with his son.

As he waited at a red light Booth noticed a parade heading down the street. He groaned. He really wanted to go pick up Parker, go home and get Bones and then head off to see Pops. Pops had said that Jared was thinking of bringing Padme and their son Dali and Booth was excited to see his baby nephew. He also knew that Parker was just as excited to see his cousin. It was the first one he had. Parker was also being even more vocal than usual about wanting a baby brother or sister. Booth was definitely not against having more children; he had always wanted at least two or three. Things between him and Brennan had been going very well; he had thought that there would have initially been some adjusting when he had first moved into her apartment, but the change had been surprisingly easy for both of them. He thought that perhaps seeing Dali would lead him and Brennan to re-opening their conversation on babies. And he couldn't help but think about how much fun they were going to have trying to make a baby.

Honking brought him out of his thoughts.

"Can't really go anywhere buddy." He muttered as the driver behind him continued honking. The parade seemed to have stopped in the middle of the street. Booth found it rather odd that there was a parade at all. It was not any holiday that he knew of (and he knew a lot of them since he loved holidays so much) nor could he think of any special event that was supposed to be taking place.

Booth looked at his surroundings and realized that they were only two blocks away from the Hoover building and a sickening feeling took over his gut. He tried to remain calm as he watched children going up to the clowns and getting free balloon animals. Booth picked up his walkie talkie, he knew that he was going to sound like an idiot.

"Dispatch 22705."

"Dispatch."

"Dispatch 22705, I am two blocks east of the Hoover Building, there seems to be a suspicious parade of clowns stopped in the street." There was a pause.

"Sorry 22705 can you repeat. I don't think I heard correctly." The dispatcher said. Booth sighed.

"There is a parade of clowns stopped in the street." Booth repeated.

"Um, is there suspicious activity?" The dispatcher asked, clearly confused. At that moment Booth saw one of the clowns pick up a gun from inside one of the clown cars.

"Yes, they're armed. Requesting back-up." Booth threw down the walkie talkie and quickly grabbed his gun and badge from the glove compartment before quickly jumping out of his car. He tried to look inconspicuous as he moved through the crowd towards the clowns.

As he approached the group of clowns from behind, he noticed that the electrical wires underneath one of the vans was sparking. It was going to blow up.

"EVERYONE GET BACK!" He shouted. Everyone turned to look at him, mothers and fathers began pulling their children away. Booth didn't care if they thought he was deranged; as long as they got their children to safety. The screaming started when one of the women noticed his gun but not his badge.

"Damn it." He swore under his breath. The clowns turned towards him, each revealing their own guns. The chaos increased as the innocent bystanders tried to get away.

"FBI FREEZE!" Booth shouted at them. He was doing his best to maintain his compose. The identical gigantic smiles were really creeping him out. How did anyone find clowns funny?

He kept his gun trained on them, he couldn't tell if it was their painted smiles or their actual smiles but they smiled at him before they raised the guns and began shooting into the air. The chaos continued. People were screaming and pushing. Cars were speeding away. Booth wanted to shoot, but there were too many people running towards him and he didn't want to accidentally hit someone who wasn't a clown.

With all the noise and chaos, no one noticed the sparks coming from the van. Suddenly everything was drowned out as the van exploded. The clowns were immediately blown into several pieces. Booth felt the force of the blast and was hurled backwards several feet before he landed in a heap on the pavement.

He couldn't hear the chaos anymore. His last conscious thought was of telling Parker not to worry. He had failed to stay safe for his son.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Thanks so so much for all the reviews! I'm so glad everyone is enjoying the story. Without further ado, here is the next chapter. Enjoy and let me know what you think :)**

Brennan was in her bedroom getting ready for the day. She was excited to go visit Pops and even more excited that Rebecca had allowed Parker to come with them. Booth had woken up early to go pick up Parker and left her to get ready. She was even excited to see Jared and Padme and their son Dali. With a big smile on her face, Brennan entered the kitchen and began filling up some re-usable water bottles to take with them on the drive.

When her phone rang, she eagerly answered it, thinking it was Booth telling her to make her way outside so that they could 'get the show on the road'.

"I'll be right down Booth." She said.

"Dr. Brennan? It's Charlie." Brennan gasped; she felt her heart skip a beat.

"Charlie."

"Yes. Listen Dr. Brennan, there's been accident. Well actually I am not too sure on the details but it involves a bunch of clowns and guns and a van blowing up." Charlie was rambling.

"Charlie is Booth okay?" She demanded, she really didn't care about the details.

"He caught the force of the blast. He's at the usual hospital." Charlie barely had the words out before Brennan had closed he phone, grabbed her purse and had run out the door.

{}

Brennan parked haphazardly in the first spot she saw and ran into the hospital. Her heart was beating so fast she was sure she would need a sedative soon.

"Seeley Booth, what room is he in?" Brennan demanded as soon as she reached the nurse's station.

"One minute sweetheart." The nurse said before going back to a file she had been looking over.

"It takes less than a minute to input a patient's name into the computer and find out what room he is in." Brennan said, the nurse almost took a step back at the threatening tone.

"He's in room 410." She said. Brennan rushed towards the elevators. It seemed to take forever for the elevator to arrive. Brennan was trying to stay calm but it was hard. She was so scared. She had come so close to losing Booth so many times. She knew she would not be able to compartmentalize his death. Not now, not anymore. She grew angry. Her inability to compartmentalize his death now was his fault, for falling in love with her, for making her believe in love, for being the one she fell in love with. Her logic was constantly put to the side when she had to address issues and emotions concerning him. It was his fault. All of it. She used to be a completely rational human being. She hadn't needed to make love, she had been content with causal sex. She hadn't needed relationships to complicate her life. Choosing her work over a person was always a given because there was never anyone to choose. There had been no emotions and nothing that could rip her apart. It had been better.

That thought was immediately lanced from her head as she found herself in Booth's room. He was hooked up to a respirator and there were burns visible on his arms. Even unconscious he had pain etched into his handsome features. The heart monitor was beating steadily though, and it kept her from hyperventilating. However she couldn't stop the tears that filled her eyes. She pulled the chair right next to the bed and slowly lowered herself into it. She grabbed his hand.

"You're going to be okay." She whispered trying to hold back a sob.

{}

Rebecca watched as Parker paced in front of the window. Seeley had told her he would be there at eight, it was now ten thirty.

"Parker, why don't you go throw some hoops while you wait for your dad?" She suggested. Parker shrugged but went outside. She watched as he picked up his basket-ball and half-heartedly threw it towards the hoop. She sighed. She was worried about Parker. He had been having nightmares for a while now, always the same subject: his father getting hurt. At first it had just been one recurring dream of Seeley getting killed in Afghanistan, but lately they had shifted to him being run over by a car or shot by a suspect. She knew that Seeley had talked to him on multiple occasions about it, and had tried to reassure Parker that he would be safe; but perhaps it was time to start thinking about seeking professional help. She did not want her son to be plagued by nightmares about his father all the time and she knew that Seeley felt the same. And that Seeley definitely felt guilty about his son having nightmares.

Glancing once more at Parker, she turned and grabbed her cell phone. Seeley didn't answer. Rebecca really didn't like to have to call Dr. Brennan, but seeing as the pair was inseparable, she knew there was a big chance they were together somewhere. She didn't pick up either. Rebecca swallowed, she knew the pair always had their phones and always answered. Something must have happened. She tried Dr. Brennan again.

"Brennan." It was weak and Rebecca was fairly sure that she heard a sniffle.

"Dr. Brennan, its Rebecca."

"Parker!" Brennan nearly shouted into the phone.

"Yes, I'm calling because I thought that Seeley was coming to pick him up. Um…did something happen?" There was a long silence.

"Yes. Booth…there was an explosion…"

"Oh my god! Is Seeley okay?" Rebecca asked horrified, she turned away from the window in case Parker looked and saw her face. Dr. Brennan cleared her throat.

"No." The simplicity of her answers was scaring Rebecca.

"Is he?" She couldn't bring herself to say dead. She wasn't in love with Seeley Booth but he was the father of her child. He was an excellent father who loved his son more than anything. And Parker adored his father. She knew it would destroy her little boy if he lost his father.

"He's alive." Brennan said, her tone clearly indicating that if she had anything to say about it that's they way it was going to stay.

"Okay. Okay." Rebecca repeated trying to stay calm.

"Should I bring Parker to come see him?" She asked. Seeing his son always helped him heal, even if it was just emotionally.

"No. Not right now. Parker should not have to witness his father in this condition." Clearly the defense mechanisms were started to kick in.

"Okay. I'm going to tell him though; he's been waiting for Seeley since six thirty this morning."

"I will call you back when I have further news and an appropriate time for Parker to come visit." Brennan responded clinically.

"Right. Okay. Thank you, Dr. Brennan." Brennan hung up the phone without saying anything else.

Rebecca took a moment to compose herself. Then she opened the door.

"Parker, can you come back inside please."

{}

"Sweetie?" Angela placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Sweetie, you've been here for two days. I think you should go home."

"I don't want him to wake up alone." Brennan said. She was not crying, she had managed to stop the tears long ago. She was focusing on how his hand still felt warm under hers and his steady heartbeat on the monitor.

"I know. But you need to rest. You know Booth will get upset because you didn't take care of yourself."

"Then he can get mad at me when he wakes up. I'm not leaving." Angela sighed.

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything okay Sweetie." She turned to leave when Brennan spoke.

"Did they find out what happened?" She asked.

"Yeah. Sweets said he's gonna come by later though sweetie, maybe he should explain."

"Why can't you explain?"

"Sweetie, the love of your life was blown up and he hasn't woken up yet. I know how you think and how you want to compartmentalize everything-"

"Ange." Brennan interrupted. "I can't compartmentalize. I can't convince myself not to panic until I get the facts. I just keep…" She sighed heavily, "I just keep thinking about all the worse case scenarios." Angela rubbed her back.

"It will be okay Sweetie." She said consolingly.

{}

_There were clowns everywhere. They surrounded him. They were all giggling and laughing, all had identical gigantic smiles painted onto their faces._

"_HEHEHE" Booth shuddered. "HEHEHEHE" _

"_Shut up." He told the clown closest to him._

"_Oh, that's not nice." The clown responded. "Looks like someone needs to learn some manners."_

"_No, what I need is to get out of here."_

"_HEHEHE. You're never gonna get out." Said another clown in a high pitched voice. "HEHEHE, nope, you're gonna be here forever."_

"_Impossible." _

"_Aww, come on silly Seeley, what happened to your fun side." Teased yet another clown, he was the tallest and had large large floppy shoes on. Booth exhaled loudly in annoyance. _

"_I'm leaving." He said he stood on his tip toes trying to see a way out._

"_HEHEHE, I told you, there's no way out. HEHEHE." Booth was getting really irritated. The obnoxious laughter, the constant, the way to wide smiles. It was too much._

"_Let me leave or I'll take my gun out and shoot you." He threatened. _

"_HEHEHEHE. You don't have enough bullets for all of us. HEHEHE." Booth could feel his heart rate accelerate. They began closing in around him._

"_Ooo let's have some fun." The clown with the high pitched voice said. Booth saw another clown hand him a box of face paints. Another clown held a rubber nose and yet another a poufy red wig. He couldn't seem to find his voice._

"_HEHEHE so much fun." _

Booth gasped and opened his eyes. He was not at home. He blinked.

"Booth?"

"Bones?" His voice was hoarse from lack of use.

"Booth! Oh thank God you're awake!" Brennan said, she could feel the tears of relief invading her eyes. "And I mean that only as a saying of relief." Booth smiled at her.

"How are you feeling?" She asked concerned.

"Like I got blown up." He responded.

"It's not funny Booth. You did get blown up." Brennan said suddenly furious.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to joke around." He reached for her as best he could with all the IV lines in his arm. "Hey, come here." Brennan didn't hesitate.

"I was scared that you weren't going to wake up." She confessed as she grabbed his hand again and sat on the edge of his bed.

"I would never give up without a fight." He said seriously, staring into her eyes. "And I know that you wouldn't either. I know you'd do everything in your power to get me to wake up." Brennan felt a tear leave her eye.

"I would. Even though it wouldn't be logical." She responded.

"What's not logical about doing everything you can for someone you love?" Booth asked rhetorically.

{}

"Agent Booth. Glad you see you awake." Sweets said sincerely as he entered the room.

"Thanks Sweets.

"Are you here to tell us the details about what happened?" Brennan asked. Sweets was un-offended by her lack of greeting. He knew she just wanted to know what happened and who was responsible for putting someone she loved in danger.

"Well, actually, you're gonna be really proud of Wendell. He worked with the remains of the clowns and found identity really quickly." Sweets started.

"Hey, that's great for Wendell!" Booth said. Wendell was the one squintern that he liked. The guy was actually mostly normal.

"Continue Sweets." Brennan said.

"Right. So turns out that all of them were part of a terrorist group-"

"See, there is a legit reason for me to hate clowns." Booth interrupted. Brennan couldn't suppress the tiny smile that graced her lips. Sweets chuckled.

"Go on."

"They were planning on bombing the Hoover building and causing chaos. They thought the clown disguise would throw off suspicion." Booth scoffed but didn't interrupt.

"But first the crowds stalled them because all the kids wanted to see the clowns. And then of course Agent Booth sorta botched their plan."

"So they fired into the air to so that people would get out of the way so that they could escape the explosion." Booth said.

"Yes." Sweets nodded.

"Have they been linked to specific terrorist group?" Brennan asked impatiently. She wanted facts, as many as she could get. It was helping to calm her down and let her mind think rationally.

"No. Angela used her wicked computer skills and a few profilers at the FBI worked on it but we couldn't find anything specific." Brennan was not appeased by this.

"So they could just be a bunch of nutcases." Booth said tiredly. The conversation was wearing him out.

"Yeah. Mega psychos."

"Are they all dead?" Brennan asked.

"Yeah. They were standing too close to the van to have survived the blast."

"Fine." She said. Both men raised an eyebrow.

"When did the doctor say he'd be back?" She asked changing the subject. She was antsy.

"Sweets could you give us a minute?" Booth asked. Sweets nodded. Booth waited until Sweets had left.

"Bones, come here." He reached his hand out again, seeing the burns on his arms for the first time. Brennan let him take her hand.

"I know you wish you could do something to get back at those guys for hurting me but they're dead and I'm alive."

"I know." She leaned over and kissed him.

"I'm very glad you're alive." She kissed him again.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: So so sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been super busy. Classes are about to start but hopefully I'll still be able to update regularly. Hope you're all still interested and enjoying the story. Let me know what you think and thanks for the reviews and alerts on the other chapter :)**

Parker stood shaking as his mother explained that his father had been in an explosion.

"Sweetie, he's going to be all right." Rebecca tried to sooth him. He didn't respond when she enveloped him in a hug. Her heart was breaking for her son. She couldn't help but think that Parker was only eleven years old and should not be having to deal with his father almost dying because of his job. A part of her wanted to revoke Seeley's custody rights in order to protect her son. But she knew it would be grossly unfair for her to end the communication and visits between Parker and Seeley. That would break both of them and wouldn't solve anything.

"Can we go see him?" Parker asked. There were tears swimming in his eyes and Rebecca could tell he was trying to hold them back.

"It's okay to cry Parker. You have every right to be afraid. I'm not sure if we can go see him just yet. Dr. Brennan said she'd call me when it's a good time."

"I want to go now!" Rebecca was taken aback by the vehemence in his voice.

"Parker."

"No. Mom! We have to go! Please! I have to see Dad. I have to make sure he's okay." A sob escaped his throat as he pleaded with his mother. Soon the tears were raining down his face.

"I knew he would get hurt. I knew it! He said he would try to be safe but I knew he was going to get hurt!" He was crying harder. Rebecca felt her own eyes filling with tears as she watched her son crumble. She quickly enveloped him in her arms again.

"Parker, baby. It's not your fault you're father got hurt. He has a dangerous job. It was an accident. You're father promised you that he'd be more careful and you know that he would do whatever he could to keep his promise." She said quickly. She rubbed his back consolingly. Rebecca wished with all her heart that she could take away her son's pain. She prayed that Seeley would be okay.

"Mommy." She felt the tears fall from her eyes; Parker hadn't called her mommy in over a year, opting for mom instead.

"Yes, baby."

"I need Daddy to be okay." Parker whispered before breaking down again.

{}

Rebecca was sitting in her living room looking out the window and waiting for her phone to ring. Two days and Seeley had still not woken up. Parker had been so distraught that she had allowed him to stay home from school. It would have been useless to force him to go knowing that his thoughts were only on his father. His teacher had been very understanding and Rebecca had been grateful. She sighed. Neither her nor Parker had gotten much sleep in the past couple days and she could only imagine how Dr. Brennan was feeling. Seeing someone you love hooked up on machines, struggling for their life. She shuddered.

She was beyond relieved when Dr. Brennan called her and told her that Seeley had woken up. She quickly woke up Parker so that they could go to the hospital. She had never seen him get ready so quickly.

Brennan was still worried about Parker seeing Booth in so many bandages and with so many IVs in his arms but after Rebecca had explained Parker's reaction to Booth being in the hospital, she had quickly agreed to let Parker come see his father. It would probably be beneficial for both of them.

"Dad!" Parker ran into the room and right up to his father's bed.

"Parker." Parker climbed onto the bed, mindful of all the IVs surrounding his father and cuddled up next to him. Booth put his arms around his son and held onto him. They lay there together both thankful that he was okay.

Rebecca and Brennan watched from the door.

"I don't think I've ever seen anything as heart-breaking as Parker's reaction to Seeley being here." She said she could feel the tears invading her eyes again thinking about it.

"Booth told me that Parker's been having nightmares about him getting hurt." Brennan stated turning towards Rebecca.

"Yes."

"I don't think this situation is going to help the nightmares. It will probably make them worse." Brennan continued. Rebecca closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose. She knew that Dr. Brennan was not trying to be malicious, only pointing out a fact. She knew that Dr. Brennan cared for her son as well as for his father.

"I agree." She responded. "I've been thinking that maybe Seeley and I should think about getting him some professional help."

"Booth got professional help for his nightmares." Brennan stated. Rebecca assumed that meant Brennan agreed with the idea.

The two women fell into silence as they continued to watch Booth and Parker lying serenely together on the hospital bed; their chests rising and falling in sync, the steady beeping of the heart monitor lulling them into a peaceful sleep.

{}

"Why do I have to do this?" Parker asked as he followed his Dad into the elevator. Since no one was in the elevator with them, Booth decided it was safe to talk.

"Listen Buddy, when I came back from Afghanistan I was having nightmares all the time and they were horrible. And then I started seeing someone about it and it took some time but I got better. I want you to stop having nightmares Parker."

"Okay." Parker said. He grabbed his dad's hand. Booth had had to stay in the hospital for a week due to his injuries. He and Rebecca had allowed Parker to miss a couple more days of school but they forced him to go Thursday and Friday. He couldn't miss too much; he was in junior high now. Parker came to the hospital everyday just to lay with his father. It seemed the only time he got a decent amount of restful sleep was when he was with his father so Rebecca was not about to argue about it. The two nights he had spent at home had only resulted in intense nightmares that woke him up shaking and in tears. Rebecca had immediately decided on getting professional help and Booth had quickly agreed.

Although Sweets was not a child psychologist and had a full patient list on top of his profiler duties, he had agreed to do an initial evaluation on Parker and volunteered time for sessions if he thought they were needed. Booth had thought it best that the psychologist be someone Parker knew and someone that both he and Parker could trust.

"Was it Dr. Sweets who helped you with your nightmares?" Parker asked as they got off the elevator and began walking towards Sweets' office.

"Yep. He's really good."

"Does he still look like a baby's behind?" Parker asked, feeling in a playful mood for the first time in a while. Booth laughed.

"He looks a little different; he can actually grow facial hair now." Booth said delighted that Parker was in a good enough mood to be making jokes.

"Dad do you remember when I found that finger?" Parker asked, he slowed down knowing they were approaching the office.

"Yeah." Booth waited patiently for his son to continue.

"And you made me sit with Dr. Sweets after?"

"Yeah."

"I told Dr. Sweets about that girl carrying me around like a monkey?"

"Yeah. Parker what are you getting at?" Booth asked concerned.

"Nothing. I just think Dr. Sweets is nice. But he said he was my babysitter." Booth smiled slightly at the comment.

"Well he sort of was because he didn't think you needed a psychologist. Do you mind him being your psychologist?" Booth asked his son.

"No." Parker shrugged. "He's nice. And he helped you."

"He did." Booth nodded in confirmation. They had arrived at Sweets' office.

{}

Booth walked back to his office after dropping Parker off with Sweets knowing that he was not going to be getting any work done. He was much too worried about Parker to even think about homicides at the moment. He considered going down to the shooting range in the basement in order to relieve some stress but he wanted to be near in case anything happened.

"Hey." Brennan said as she entered his office. She could tell that he was deep in thought, most likely about Parker. Booth looked up at her.

"Hey, Bones. What are you doing here?" He asked, pleading to the heavens that they didn't have a case.

"I found myself unable to concentrate fully on the tasks I was doing at the lab because I was worried about Parker. It seemed a more productive use of my time to come here and see how you were doing." She explained. It was true. She had been trying to identify a skeleton from Limbo and had not made any progress. She had been thinking about Parker, worried about how the nightmares were affecting him. She was worried about the affects of Parker's dreams on Booth as well as Booth's own nightmares which had only recently been decreasing but were still horrible. Booth looked at her tenderly.

"That's sweet Bones." He said softly. Brennan rewarded him with a tender smile of her own.

"So, how are you doing?" She asked after they shared a moment of staring into each others eyes that would usually leave any witnesses begging to just have a glimpse of that type of love.

"I'm worried."

"That's a natural response to the situation." Brennan said. Booth chuckled slightly.

"You being here helps though." He admitted giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"I'm glad I could help." She said smiling.

"Am I interrupting something?" Rebecca asked making her presence known. Booth and Brennan looked in her direction.

"No, not at all." Brennan said as Booth ushered her into the office. The three adults stood awkwardly for a moment.

"I'm nervous." Rebecca said breaking the silence.

"I know." Booth said consolingly. "So are we. But Parker's a good kid. He's gonna get through this." Rebecca took a deep breath.

"I really hope you're right Seeley. I just…I never though that my baby would be in this situation." She said sadly; amazed that she was able to keep her composure.

"Rebecca, no parent ever wishes that their child has to experience something like this." Booth said seriously. Then he asked the question that had been dancing in the back of his mind, he already knew what his answer was, he just wanted to know if she felt the same.

"Do you think this is my fault?" He asked seriously. Rebecca blinked. She was not surprised by his question. She knew that he put a lot of blame on himself even when he was not to blame. And she had spent a few miserable hours that morning blaming him for everything. She knew he didn't deserve it and she knew it wasn't all his fault, but she had needed someone to blame and he was so good at accepting blame. However now that he was actually asking her if she blamed him, she knew her answer.

"No. You are a good father Seeley." She replied sincerely. Booth hugged her as thanks. Brennan reached out and grabbed his hand; intertwining their fingers and giving it a tight squeeze of support when they broke apart. Suddenly his phone beeped. Booth didn't release her hand as he reached into his pocket. He glanced at both women before flipping open the phone.

"Sweets is finished."


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: So so so sorry that I haven't updated. I just want to thank everyone again for the reviews and alerts and favorites, always encouraging. I am not really sure about the first part, but it was the only idea that came to me. (Also just want to point out again that I have no knowledge of psychology or anthropology). Enjoy and please let me know what you think!**

Booth was happy. He was sitting in his living room; the love of his life on one side and his son on the other. They were all enjoying watching Animal Planet after having had a nice dinner with Rebecca.

Rebecca had decided to let Parker stay with his father for the weeks following his start of therapy. She and Seeley had had a long conversation with Sweets after the first appointment; Rebecca was grateful that Dr. Brennan had been able to keep Parker busy.

When Brennan got up to use the bathroom during a commercial; Parker tentatively asked his father a very serious question.

"Do you think there's something wrong with me?" He asked. Booth was so stunned at the question; having no idea how Parker could even fathom that he thought there was something wrong with him that it took him a moment to respond.

"What? No! Where would you get an idea like that?"

"I'm in therapy." Parker stated, sounding more like a petulant child than he had in a while. Booth looked at his son sadly. He knew what it was like to feel as though you were complete broken and no one could fix you. He also knew what it was like to feel as though there was something wrong with you that would make other people run for the hills.

"Parker, look at me. There is nothing wrong with you. You are a healthy eleven year old boy who has occasional nightmares. Having nightmares doesn't mean that there is something wrong with you." Booth said seriously.

"What about PTSD?" Parker asked. Booth raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know about PTSD?" He asked. He knew Sweets was not allowed to divulge completely what happened in his sessions with Parker due to doctor-patient confidentiality, but now he was starting to get concerned.

"There was an essay about it on Dr. Sweets' table last time I went. I didn't read it but I asked him what PTSD meant and he said it means Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and said that it's like a disease." Parker explained. Booth's brow furrowed. He had suffered from PTSD upon returning from war, both times, and he did not think that Parker had any symptoms of PTSD. He was growing rapidly concerned with what was going on his Parker's sessions with Sweets.

"Did Sweets say you have PTSD?" Booth asked tentatively. Parker shook his head.

"No."

"Do you think you have PTSD?" Booth asked suddenly incredible curious to know. Parker squirmed for a moment before answering.

"I don't know. I don't really know anything about it." Booth looked at his son in the eyes for a full minute before responding. He didn't use words however; he enveloped his son in a crushing hug.

"Listen Park," Booth started pulling back and looking Parker in the eye again. "What happened with the explosion and your nightmares and seeing me in the hospital like that, it's traumatic yes, but you're having less nightmares and I'm all better now. I really don't think you have PTSD." He waited for Parker to give him a sign of comprehension before he continued. "And as for the other thing, I've told you before; having nightmares is nothing to be ashamed of. People shouldn't treat you differently; they aren't going to not like you just because you have nightmares; there is nothing wrong with you having nightmares." Booth wanted to stress that point. He hated that his son felt isolated from the others in his class simply because of his nightmares. He also hating being the cause of his son's nightmares; he wished there was something he could do that would make them go away or to make sure that he never got hurt, unfortunately there was nothing he could do. It made his over-protective instincts stay on constant high alert just in case.

There were a couple tears in Parker's eyes that he quickly tried to blink back; he did not want to cry. His throat was a little closed up from trying to prevent himself from crying so instead of telling his father how much he appreciated what he had said, he gave him another hug.

Brennan had stayed in the bedroom during the whole encounter in order to give Booth and Parker some privacy; despite this, she had been able to hear the majority of the conversation. She was always amazed at how well Booth reassured Parker and took away his fear. He made it seem effortless.

"I love you." Booth whispered in Parker's ear.

"I love you too Dad."

{}

"You shouldn't be pacing the hallway." She stated from their bedroom door as she watched him.

"I know, I know." Booth said, finally stopping in front of her. "I just want to be there if he needs me."

"You will. You always are." She took his hand and led him into the bedroom. They got ready for bed and cuddled under the covers. Booth had his arm around her, holding her protectively as she lay against chest.

"He seems to be doing much better." Brennan pointed out, her hand lazily tracing a pattern on his chest. Booth let out a content sigh at the contact.

"Yeah, he does. Sweets told me that Parker will probably still have nightmares occasionally but that he doesn't think Parker needs therapy anymore."

"That's good." Brennan yawned. They laid together in silence for a few minutes before Brennan spoke again; Booth had thought that she had been asleep.

"I know you think that his nightmares were your fault." She said.

"Of course they're my fault Bones." Booth said incredulously.

"No they aren't." Brennan argued. "You often blame yourself needlessly for things that are beyond your control."

"This isn't beyond my control Bones. He started having nightmares because he was worried about my safety. I was in a war zone and I have a dangerous job. Where would you get that it's not my fault?" Brennan rubbed his chest softly trying to calm him down. She placed a soft kiss to his side before answering.

"You've always had a dangerous job Booth. And Parker has known for years the type of work you do." She began.

"Bones, he was a little kid, he didn't understand before."

"True, but he did know. As a child he was only able to understand it simply as 'my daddy catches bad guys'. The only thing that has changed is the fact that he is now old enough to comprehend what you do on a more intellectual level." Brennan explained.

"Still not seeing where this is not my fault Bones." Booth said as though he had won the argument.

"It's not your fault Booth because you have always been in the same amount of danger; Parker is now just at an age where he can comprehend it. It frightened him to find out that you were in such danger and that is why he began having the nightmares."

"You're channeling Sweets tonight Bones." Booth said. She wasn't sure if he sounded more exasperated or amused.

"Well you and Rebecca have let me be a part of some of the meetings that you've had with Sweets. I am simply giving you my interpretation of what he told us." Booth smiled at her. Truth be told, he had been beyond stunned when Rebecca allowed Bones to sit in with them during some of the meetings with Sweets. And he was even more enamored with his girlfriend knowing she cared so much about him and his son. Booth sighed heavily.

"When you say it, it actually sounds logical." He said. Brennan smiled.

"Well I am a very logical person."

"Don't I know it?" Booth said amused.

"Yes you do know it." Brennan said confused. "You've know me for years Booth, you've always known that I am a very logical person." Booth couldn't control his smile, he decided not to correct her and tell her it was just a saying.

"You're adorable." He said tenderly. Brennan blushed slightly, and couldn't help but admonish him.

"Booth I am not adorable. Adorable is a term used for infants or infant animals, not grown women."

"You're even more adorable when you do that." Booth teased before kissing her soundly.

{}

Angela had never seen Cam look so frazzled. She watched in amusement as Cam began flipping through papers, muttering to herself.

"Something wrong Cam?" She asked the pathologist.

"No, I just, there are so many little details for the wedding…I can't believe it's only a couple weeks away." Angela grinned.

"I know. I'm so excited." Cam smiled at her. She had asked Angela to be a bridesmaid along with her sister Felicia, Michelle and Brennan. For a woman who had always admonished big wedding parties, she couldn't help but see the irony in hers. Paul had chosen his brother, two of his best friends and Booth to be the groomsmen. Booth had been honored of course; he was delighted that his best friend was getting married.

"Are you nervous?" Angela asked.

"Not so much, mostly just, can't wait to get it over with." Cam replied flipping through another stack of papers. Angela laughed.

"You make it sound like its going to be one of those boring Jeffersonian benefits we're always forced to go to." Cam laughed at her statement.

"I'm excited to get married. I guess I could have phrased it differently." She responded.

{}

"Cam is getting married in a week." Brennan said out of the blue one evening as they sat together doing paperwork. Parker was back with Rebecca for the week.

"I know. She's so excited." Booth commented.

"Yes. I have observed that she has definitely been smiling more lately and seems to be a little distracted." Brennan stated. Booth put down his pen and turned to look at her.

"Do you think she's being unprofessional?" He asked. He had known Camille Saroyan for twenty years now; no one had ever called her unprofessional.

"No. I was merely making the observation that her impending wedding seems to be making her happy." Brennan said. Booth chuckled.

"Of course it would Bones. You wouldn't get married if it wasn't going to make you happy."

"Well I wouldn't get married because I believe marriage-"

"Yeah, yeah antiquated ritual. I know. I didn't mean you specifically. I meant people in general." Booth said; he did not want to end up in an argument about marriage. It was one subject they always avoided because of their distinctly different outlooks on the subject. Plus, since a part of him still held the hope that someday she would change her mind and want to get married, he really didn't want to hear her bashing marriage yet again.

"Oh. Well I can see how that would seem logical, although there are many marriages that are not happy. Fifty percent end in divorce. And there are a lot of arranged marriages in India and the Middle East where especially the woman would definitely not be happy to get married." Brennan said typically.

"Bones, people don't go into marriages thinking 'we're gonna get divorced' otherwise there would be no point in getting married." Booth said, ignoring the rest of her speech as he wasn't talking about arranged marriages; he was talking about choice and love.

"That is my point however Booth. There is no point in getting married because there is a large statistical probability that it will not work out." Booth could feel himself getting worked up. He knew he shouldn't; he'd sat through this and similar speeches many times before…but it never failed to get under his skin.

"Bones. Getting married is a choice. At least here in America, I don't care about those other places with arranged marriages right now because that's not what I'm talking about. What I'm saying is that when two people decide to get married, it's because they love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together. They don't think about divorce rates, no one goes into it thinking that they are getting trapped into something or giving up their freedom. It's a choice people choose to make." He hadn't realized that he had stood up during his tirade, but now he found his breathing was just a bit heavier. Brennan remained seated on the couch, looking at him intensely. He was mad, Brennan could see that. Booth exhaled loudly. He took a few steps towards their room before turning back,

"And Bones, you better not say anything at the wedding about divorce percentages or any other anthropological gibberish."

{}

Brennan waited a while before going into their bedroom. She had decided to let him cool down a bit. She knew that her comments would make him angry; to be honest she was not entirely sure why she had even broached the subject. They had not spoken of marriage in a while, but perhaps Cam's impending wedding had caused her to bring up the subject again. Brennan knew that marriage was important to Booth; to him it was something sacred, something to be honored, a choice what was made out of love. But she simply couldn't help but rationalize it. To her there was no point in getting married. No concrete evidence that said marriage was a favorable choice.

She made her way quietly into the room, hoping not to disturb him. However he was a light sleeper and a former sniper.

"Are you still mad at me?" She asked climbing into bed, his arms immediately circling her.

"No." He breathed softly into her neck. "I know you don't understand why I think marriage is so important. I'm sorry I got mad." Brennan turned around so that she was facing him.

"I do understand why it is important to you; I just don't understand the appeal of marriage in general. There is no evidence that makes marriage a favorable choice." She hated hurting him, she really did. She was hoping it would hurt him less if she explained her reasoning.

"There's lots of evidence Bones…just none of it's logical." He kissed her softly, letting her know that he loved her, and then closed his eyes. Brennan continued to look at him, she knew he wasn't asleep yet but she liked to observe him like this. She still didn't want to get married, but maybe there was something she could do to show him how much she valued their relationship.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Sorry about the delay in updating. Between classes and work, I will probably only be able to update once a week. I hope everyone is still enjoying the story. Let me know what you think!**

The day had arrived. Cam was getting married today.

Brennan sat on the side as Angela put the finished touches on Cam's makeup. Cam had her hair up in a loose bun with a few tendrils down in front, framing her face. She looked stunning. Her dress was simple, a rich off white color that complimented her skin and was elegant in a way that only Cam was able to pull off. Brennan had wanted to comment that white symbolized virginity and that Cam was no longer a virgin, but she held her tongue. She had promised Booth not to mention anything about anthropology today.

Brennan was wearing a pale blue strapless dress that went just past her knees; it had a sash around the waist that was the same off white color as Cam's dress. The other bridesmaids were wearing identical dresses.

There was a knock at the door and then Booth entered. He was wearing a snazzy tux with a small white rose in the buttonhole.

"Wow, Cam, you look amazing." He said walking up to her. She stood up and he gave her a hug.

"Careful Booth, I just finished her make-up." Angela warned playfully. Booth laughed.

"So everyone all ready to go?" He asked, clapping his hands together.

"Is that why they sent you in here?" Cam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I wanted a sneak peek at what everyone was wearing." Booth responded. "You all look great." He said. His eyes focused on Brennan who was still sitting in her seat. She blushed slightly but smiled back at him.

"Alright, Booth get out. We have to have some last minute girl talk before the wedding starts." Angela said ushering him to the door.

"Alright, alright. See you guys in ten." He made his way out the door, carefully closing it behind him.

"Bren, that man cannot go just a few hours without seeing you." Angela shook her head in amusement.

"He did not come to see me, he came to see Cam." Brennan retorted.

"Ten minutes Cam, how are you feeling?" Felicia asked, steering the conversation away from Cam's ex and Brennan's current boyfriend.

"A little nervous." Cam admitted. "But mostly just really happy."

{}

"Can you believe it?" Hodgins said with a shake of his head.

"Believe what?" Sweets asked. They were sitting together on Cam's side of the church. (The fact that Cam chose a church wedding had surprised all of them, expect Booth, who knew she was doing it in honor of her deceased grandmother to whom she had been very close).

"Cam's getting married today." Hodgins said.

"Yeah." Sweets couldn't help but smile. It was a happy day. "She deserves to be happy."

"Oh, I'm not saying she doesn't." Hodgins said quickly. "It just seems so…Who would have thought you know eight years ago that us squints would be getting married. It seems sort of surreal."

"You've been married for two years now." Sweets pointed out as Daisy took her place beside him. Their engagement was back on now; their wedding tentatively planning for the following spring.

"Most of us shared Dr. B's 'marriage is an antiquated ritual' opinion back then Sweets. I don't think any of us really though we would get married."

"That makes sense."

"And you, you're getting married too." Sweets was beginning to wonder if Hodgins had already started celebrating. He was acting a little more exuberant than normal.

"Yes I am." He grinned at Daisy, who grinned back.

"How much you wanna bet Booth is annoyed that you're getting married before him?" Hodgins whispered conspiratorially.

"Well Dr. Brennan has made her stance on marriage very clear. She does not want to get married and once she sets her brilliant mind on something she doesn't change it." Daisy said quickly, unable to suppress her desire to compliment her mentor. Hodgins decided it was best to end the conversation there, he didn't want to start an argument just minutes before the wedding was going to start. He looked around. Wendell had taken up the seat next to him and Caroline was sitting two rows back. He didn't know many of the people sitting on either side. Cam had mentioned that some of her old cop friends from New York were attending; Hodgins assumed they were the ones sitting near the back. He did notice that Booth's brother Jared and his wife were sitting in the row in front of him. He assumed some of the other people were Cam's relatives. All in all, it was a pretty small wedding. Odd since the wedding party was so big.

{}

There was a knock on the door.

"That's the signal, time to go." Angela said happily. She handed Cam her bouquet and then picked up her own. They got into line, Brennan, Angela, Felicia, and then Michelle.

Booth took his place in line and watched as the bridesmaids began to walk down the isle. He thought Brennan looked nothing short of absolutely stunning as she walked in first; there was a genuine smile on her face. He was happy. Despite how much she was against marriage, he knew it always made her feel special to be included.

The bridesmaids had all made it down the isle, the music changed and everyone stood as Cam began her walk. She was smiling, slightly embarrassed because of all the attention (but it was Paul's favorite smile). Booth felt his heart fill with pride and happiness for his best friend. He was so glad that she had found someone.

"We are gathered here today to join Camille Sarah Saroyan and Paul Joshua Lidner in holy matrimony."

{}

The wedding went off without a hitch. Caroline wasn't forced to get up and deal with a government employee who claimed that the marriage license wasn't valid. The bride and groom didn't run away unwed.

After having to take what the wedding felt like a million pictures, they made their way over to the reception.

Everyone quickly took their seats (Hodgins sat next to Angela at the head table even though he wasn't part of the wedding party). The toasts were said before the food arrived, there were lots of jokes from the speakers and blushing from the bride and groom. The food was surprisingly good for a wedding, at least according to Booth. Brennan had been about to launch into an anthropological explanation of catering services to weddings before Booth gave her a look.

"She looks really happy." Brennan pointed out as they watched Cam and Paul dance their first dance as husband and wife.

"Yeah." Booth replied looking at his longtime friend. Brennan saw the happiness in his eyes but also the slight sadness she knew was attributed to the fact that he was never going to get a first husband and wife dance. Before she could say anything in an attempt to reassure him that she was committed to their relationship, he got up and offered her his hand. Normally she would roll her eyes and make a comment about his alpha male attributes but today she let him help her up. When they got to the dance floor he held her close. Brennan rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed gently to the soft music. She took the time to observe the scene. She was an anthropologist after all; observing people is what she did. Angela and Hodgins were locked in an embrace similar to the one she was in with Booth; they were also swaying to the music. Sweets had his arms wrapped around Daisy; she watched as he leaned down and kissed her tenderly. Jared and Padme were a little further away, smiling at each other as they danced. Even Michelle and her boyfriend Perry were dancing happily together. There were other, various couples she didn't know on the dance floor now.

Brennan couldn't help but think about how many there were. How many happy couples just filled up this room? It seemed a disproportionate amount to what the statistics said. Angela and Hodgins were married. Cam and Paul were now married. Sweets and Daisy were engaged. Everyone she knew it seemed was married or getting married. Not only that, but rational scientists who were not opposed to higher thought and who often shared some of her intellectual disappointments and disagreements about society.

She hugged Booth closer; feeling a sudden need to be as close as possible to him.

"I love you." She whispered desperately in his ear. He pulled back slightly; concerned by her tone.

"I love you." He whispered back, he raised one hand and moved a stray lock of hair out of her face before kissing her lovingly. This simple act relieved the fear that had unknowingly encompassed her.

{}

"May I cut in?" Booth asked Paul politely. Paul reluctantly let go of Cam and Booth stepped in.

"Being this happy really looks good on you." Booth commented as they danced. Cam laughed.

"I am really happy."

"I'm glad." They danced in silence for a few moments.

"Everything okay with you and Dr. Brennan?" Cam asked. Booth sighed.

"Yeah. We just got into a little argument a couple days ago."

"Let me guess; it was about marriage." Cam couldn't help but roll her eyes; they were so predictable sometimes.

"Yeah. I guess it was just affecting her more than I thought." Booth said.

"I noticed." Booth raised an eyebrow in question.

"When you were dancing before; she looked scared. Like you were going to just up and leave her right there." Cam explained.

"I would never do that." Booth said more vehemently than he needed to.

{}

"How tried are you getting of dancing with everyone?" Hodgins asked, taking over as Cam's dance partner a little while later.

"It's a necessity of weddings I guess; but I would rather be dancing with Paul." Cam said lightly. They looked over at Angela and Paul who were dancing together now. Cam had not expected to see them dancing together; her confusion must have shown on her face because Hodgins guiltily explained why.

"He's the only one I can trust not to hit on Angela." He said. Cam laughed.

"Well, him and Booth…maybe Sweets, now that the kid's engaged." Cam shook her head, not in the least surprised at Hodgins' paranoid behavior.

{}

Finally Cam was back in Paul's arms. The party was dying down; it was now after two a.m. Cam rested her head on his shoulder; her hair was coming undone from it's loose bun; but she had no desire to try and fix it. Everything in that moment seemed perfect.

"Your friends are very protective of you." Paul said. Cam chuckled.

"Especially Booth." She finished his statement for him.

"Yes, especially Booth." Paul repeated, he pulled her closer, eliminating all space between them.

"I know."

"I'm glad you have them." He said.

"Me too." Cam admitted. Although she rarely said so, she did greatly appreciate the friendships she had come to form, not only with Booth but the people at the lab too.

"I'm glad you're my wife." He said playfully, spinning her around. Cam blushed and tried to suppress a smile but failed miserably.

"I love that smile." He whispered before kissing her.

{}

It was almost four am by the time they got home.

"I have to admit; it was a very nice wedding." Brennan said as they began to prepare for bed.

"Yeah, it was. I don't think I've ever seen Cam that happy." Booth replied. He yawned.

"I am way too old to be staying out so late." He said playfully. He looked at Brennan who seemed to have stopped midway through lowering the zipper of her dress. She had a look of pure concentration on her face.

"Bones?" Booth stepped tentatively towards her. It wasn't until she felt his hand make light contact with her arm that she snapped out of her trance.

"I have something for you." She said seriously.

"Okay…can it wait till we get some sleep?" Booth asked. He was exhausted. He had been up for almost twenty-four hours now.

"It could." Brennan said.

"But you want to give it to me now." Booth finished her thought. "What is it?" Brennan stood still for a moment longer before crossing the room and rummaging through one of her drawers. She extracted a small box. It looked like a box that would hold a necklace. Silently she handed it to Booth. He took it carefully and sat down on their bed. He gave her a quizzical look but her face was revealing no information. Slowly he opened the box. Inside was a Christian medal. He wasn't sure what it meant. Finally she spoke.

"It's Saint Dwynwen." Brennan said quietly, Booth noticed that she was nervous.

"She's the patron Saint of Love. Well I found that there are three to be considered the Patron Saints of Love, but I found that she was the most appropriate." She explained quickly. "A man loved her and she loved him back but she didn't want to get married; she wanted to be a nun. I know I'm not religious and I definitely don't want to be a nun but I thought…" She finally paused to breathe. Booth was looking at her intensely. He put the box down and reached for her, when she was close enough, he pulled her onto the bed. His hands gently cupped her face and he kissed her gently. It was so gentle she wasn't even sure that it was happening. Belatedly, she realized that she had been holding her breath, awaiting his response.

"I love you." He said, Brennan had never heard him sound so serious. His eyes were so full of love the intensity was causing tears to unexpectedly fill her eyes. Booth picked up the medal and carefully put it over her head.

"I gave it to you." She said confused as he let it go and it settled on her chest.

"I know. But I want you to wear it." He said softly.

"Why? I'm not religious."

"I know. But it will remind you that you are loved. That I love you."


End file.
